Winter Child
by Sisaat
Summary: A collection of often related drabbles/oneshots and short arcs centering on Jack Frost. You might want to read them in order. Cover by me. (123. "Explanations") The mess was over, but some people needed to be filled in,
1. Who I Am

**Welcome to my first ever fanfiction. There are many other drabble collections in this fandom, I know, but I try to put my own twist on those little stories and make them as interesting as I can. I have little writing experience prior to this, but I got to improve a lot while writing these (this is not my original AN, I have 56 chapters written as of right now). So the writing gets better in later chapters. And so does my English. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Rise of the Guardians_**

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The sound of a hundred musical toys almost drowned Bunnymund's victorious roar as he won his dart match against Phil the yeti. Elves ran on small colorful pianos to create what they no doubt believe to be masterpieces. North laughed heartily, enjoying the celebration of their victory over Pitch.

"Tooth! Will you stop your fluttering around and just enjoy the party?" he shouted at the fairy, raising a mug of eggnog to his mouth.

The Tooth Fairy gave a sheepish smile as she turned away from the small fairies she had been sending away to gather teeth all around the world.

"Sorry, but the children need me to do my job now more than ever!"

"Still, have some cookies."

The party had been going on for quite a while, now. There was much to be celebrated, after all. Not only had they beaten Pitch, but the Guardians had a new member. Speaking of...

"Sandy, have you seen Jack?" he asked the dozing Guardian of Dreams. "Sandy!"

Sandy woke up with a start, forming a question mark in sand above his head.

"Jack. Have you seen him?" he repeated.

Sandy shrugged and shook his head. North frowned. The boy had been there not long ago. He had spent most of the evening staring at the party with a large smile that seemed to be happy, relieved, baffled and giddy at the same time. And more than a little overwhelmed. North stood, determined to find the young Guardian.

The sound diminished considerably once he left the room, but elves ran around everywhere in the workshop. He was used to it and easily avoided tripping on any of his pointy headed helpers. He had to wander around for quite a while before he reached a significantly colder area of the complex. A window had obviously been left open.

He expected to find the white haired teenager sitting on the windowsill, but when he found the wide-opened window, Jack Frost was nowhere in sight. North frowned. Maybe he had left when he had heard him come. Was he avoiding the others?

On impulse, he poked his head out. He found him there, balanced on his staff. The end of the shepherd's crook rested on a lower ledge, a little to the side of the window. He held something small and blue in his hand as he stared out at the lightly falling snow.

"Not enjoying the party?"

Jack almost fell off his staff in surprise. When he recovered his balance, he gave him a strained but sincere smile.

"Ah... of course. It was just... getting really warm in there."

North did not doubt that the heat as everyone danced and played and ran around could have gotten uncomfortable to the Spirit of Winter, but he suspected that there was more to it than that.

"You look upset. Is something wrong?"

Jack ran a hand in his hair.

"No, it's just... a lot happened and I didn't really have time to think about any of it. Becoming a Guardian, Pitch, my memories..."

"Your memories. So you had time to look at them, yes? Did they help?"

Jack looked excited now. A bright smile lit his pale face as he looked at him.

"Yes! I saw my family. My sister. I had a sister!"

The sheer joy on the boy's face made North a little the boy be this exited about his long-dead family had he not spent his new life alone and isolated? North swore to himself that he would not let the young Guardian get lonely again. He was part of the family now.

"And you know how you became Jack Frost?"

"Yes! I went ice skating with my little sister and the ice broke and I saved her and I fell in the frozen lake and drowned and Man in Moon pulled me out as I am now," he said in a rush, gesturing wildly as he told his story.

The boy's face held a bright grin and it was somewhat upsetting to North how little Jack seemed to care that he had died. It was like he was not even considering it. Not because he was trying to block the memory, but because it really meant nothing compared to the knowledge that he had saved his sister. North could see that the boy made a good Guardian.

Jack's smile suddenly faded and sadness clouded his features.

"I remember her, you know? From after I died, I mean. It took me a while to recall. It was a long time ago. But I remember the little girl who lived near the lake but would never get near it. She always refused to go skating with the other children. I remember the look on her face as she would sometime stare in the direction of the lake..."

North reached out and placed a large hand on the boy's bony shoulder.

"So you remember who you were now. Do you know who you are?"

Jack opened his hand and looked at the small blue wooden doll in his palm

"Yes. I'm a Guardian."


	2. The Easter Bunny

**It has been snowing for two days and my street looks like a Chirstmas card. I'm in the mood to write some more of this (or make a snowman). Thanks a lot to everyone who have faved, followed or reviewed this. It is doing wonders to my motivation**

The sparkly golden sand faded away before Jack could track it to it's source. It always did. He had been trying ever since he noticed the sand appearing at around the same time every night. He was getting faster, though. He was no longer as awkward when he rode the wind as he had been when the moon first pulled him from the frozen lake. He let the wind gently lower him until his bare feet touched the wet ground.

The snow had been melting for days. It was getting warmer as well. He heard the villagers talk about the end of the winter and the coming of spring. They sounded happy about that. Jack did not understand why. Spring so far was muddy. While the children laughed as they jumped in puddles of melt water, it was not nearly as great as a good snowball fight. And they were a lot more likely to get scolded by their parents after. Jack made sure to replenish the melted snow every night.

Something brightly colored caught his attention. He crossed the small clearing, the muddy ground frosting under his feet. There, in the crook of a low branch, rested a brightly painted egg. Jack blinked at it in puzzlement. He wondered what it could possibly be doing there. He picked it up to inspect it. Dots and wavy lines decorated the purple eggshell.

"Hey, kid! The egg hunt only starts in the morning! Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Jack turned around, looking for the kid the voice spoke too. When he noticed a tall, furry creature holding an empty basket and staring straight at him, he dropped the egg in surprised.

"Y-you can see me?"

The creature stop mumbling about someone named Sandy not doing their job and looked him up and down, his eyes lingering on the frozen ground as his feet.

"You're not a child. Leave my eggs alone!"

"You can see me!"

Jack's smile could have outshone the sun. Even the glare being thrown his way did not put a dent in his good mood. Someone had just talked to him. Someone could see him. The bunny-eared creature rubbed his temples.

"You're new, aren't you?"

"New?"

"You're some kind of winter sprite. You weren't here last year. That explain why there's still so much snow this spring."

"A winter sprite?"

"You don't even know? Look, I'll forgive you the extra snow this time, but next year you have to know when to stop. Spring has come. You're not needed here anymore. I have eggs to hide and I can't do it with all that snow."

Jack looked at the furry being with wide eyes. He had not known he had previously been needed, but it still hurt to be told he wasn't anymore. He looked at the egg in the frozen mud at his feet. Frost slowly covered it, enhancing the colorful paint with its delicate patterns. Jack did not know why they could not simply be hidden in the snow. That would make it easier, no?

"Hey, don't look like that, mate," the other being said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable.

_At least someone is talking to me now._

That put him back in a good mood. His smile returned. It was the first time someone ever addressed him and he did not care that it was a grumpy furry being saying hurtful things.

"Who are you?" he asked with interest.

"I'm E. Aster Bunnymund. I'm the Easter Bunny. Speaking of, I have other places to be."

Bunnymund tapped his foot on the ground. Jack stared in wonder as a hole appeared there.

"Put that egg back where you found it, will you?"

Jack's eyes widened as he realized that the only person he had ever spoken to was about to leave.

"W-wait!" he shouted, running toward the hole. "D-don't leave me..."

Bunnymund jumped in the hole. It closed just as Jack reached it.

"...alone."


	3. No Help Is Coming

**EDIT: This used to be the first of those drabbles, but I switched it with _Who I am. _It just did not fit to****o well as a first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own _Rise of the Guardians_**

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Jack Frost laughed as he watched the children rowdily make their way back inside. He had just returned to the little town of Burgess after spending some time north, bringing the first snow of the season with him. He barely needed to do anything to get a snowball fight started in the school yard. He ran along the fence surrounding the yard, throwing snowballs to anyone who didn't look like they were having enough fun. The bell had put a stop to it, though.

"Well, that was fun."

He jumped from the fence and flew to a nearby rooftop, looking for more entertainment. The town was quiet as the adults worked and the children studied. He landed briefly on a clothesline, wondering if he should return to the lake he called home until classes ended for the day. He needed to make sure to freeze it. Maybe the kids would come ice skating.

Before he could take a decision, a yell followed by a thump broke the silence. Jack grinned, recognizing the sound of someone slipping on a patch of ice. Jumping to the roof of the building the noise came from, he made his way to the edge so he could peer down at the unfortunate victim. His grin died when he did.

There was blood. That in itself was not too upsetting. People sometime got hurt when they played and that was no reason to stop having fun. The sense of danger just made it all the more exiting. But that was a lot of blood. And the elderly man it belonged to laid still where he fell.

"Hey, you alright there?"

Looking closer, Jack could see that he had smashed his head on the hard, frozen stairs when he slipped. The old man still lived, his unfocussed eyes staring up at the sky. He made a feeble attempt to push himself up. The blood dripped from the stairs to pool underneath it.

"Just... hang in there, I'll find some help."

He looked in the nearby windows, hoping to throw a snowball in one of them to attract attention to the bleeding old man. No one was home. He flew in a circle around the area, trying to find someone who could help. A young man walked down a street two blocks away, talking to someone on his cell phone.

"Hey! You! Someone needs your help."

The man did not hear him, of course. Jack landed in front of him, wondering how to get him to the old man. He grinned as an idea hit him, running in the direction he needed the man to go before throwing a snowball at him. The man turned around with a frown, peering at the narrow street the snowball had come from. The street that would lead him to the injured old man.

"Who threw that?" the man shouted in his general direction with a frown on his face.

Jack waited expectantly for him to come investigate, a new snowball prepared to keep him going in the right direction. Much to his disappointment, the man just shrugged and continued on, resuming his phone conversation.

"What? Come on! You can't just leave," he shouted at the man's retreating back. "There's an old man that might be dying right now!"

The man did not turn around. He did not hear him. They never did. He saw a group of women talking enthusiastically as they exited a coffee house. He flew to them, waving his staff around.

"Help! Someone is dying. You need to call for help. Someone! Anyone..."

The women just walked through him. He felt a moment of despair at his inability to be heard. It was nothing new, but it still hurt. In frustration, he striked his staff on the sidewalk, feeling a moment of satisfaction as the chatter turned to shrieks and yelps as the women fell in a heap. His satisfaction was short-lived, however, as he remembered the old man bleeding on the stairs. He hoped none of them had gotten seriously hurt.

Feeling useless, he flew back to the stairs where he had left the elderly gentleman. He landed lightly on the railing and looked down at the old man. He had given up on attempting to stand and was now trying to look around with his still unfocused eyes, weakly calling for help. No one walked down the isolated little street. No doubt he had chosen to live here because of how quiet it was. Now, there was no one to hear his calls.

"It hurts, doesn't it? To be alone and have no one who can hear you..."

The old man gave no signs that he heard his words. He finally stopped trying to call for help. He stopped moving entirely except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. It kept getting slower.

"I would help you if I could. But you can't even see me, what use am I?"

The old man did not answer. Jack stopped trying to talk to him. He just crouched there on the railing, feeling powerless. As the old man breathed one last time, Jack could swear he looked right at him. Before he could be sure, however, his eyes had grown dull and unseeing.

Jack stayed there staring at the dead man for what felt like an eternity before a young woman coming home from work spotted the blood under the stairs and called help. He stayed there staring at the bloodstains on the steps after the body had been taken away.

It snowed again on Burgess the next day. A light coat of powdery snow, just enough to cover the ground. Just enough to cover the blood on the stairs.

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**This did not really turned out as well as I had hoped, but I'll try to do better in the future.**


	4. Ice Skating

**That's my last one for today. I don't know if I'll manage anything tomorrow, but I'll try. I don't think I'll try writing a chapter on my lunch break again, I get many strange looks and awkward questions.**

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It was well into his second winter when a group of men came to his lake and started walking all over it looking like people on a mission. They probed the ice, hit it with large sticks and even jumped a little. Jack was very confused by their behaviour. When the men left, he flew after them, intrigued by what they had been doing.

Standing in the village square, some children waited expectantly for the adults. They ran up to them, meeting them halfway. Jack could not help but smile fondly at their enthusiasm. Whatever it was they were getting enthusiastic over.

He placed the end of his staff on the ground, landing lightly on it to listen to what the fuss was about. He managed to keep his balance for all of ten seconds before falling off. It did not matter; no one was seeing him make a fool of himself anyway. He would manage this trick one day.

"Can we go? Please, please, please can we go?" a small blond boy asked a man who looked like he could be his father.

"It should be safe. You can go skate on the lake, but be very careful."

The children cheered and ran to their homes, running back out moments later with strange footwear slung over their shoulders. The shoes with metal blades underneath looked ominous to Jack.

"Pippa are you coming?" one of the girls called out to a timid looking brown-haired girl peeking out from inside her house.

Jack felt cold when he saw the girl. He always felt cold, but this was different. This was the kind of cold that bothered him. The girl shook her head vigorously and slammed the door shut. Jack was left with a half-remembered memory of cold he could not quite place.

"Of course she won't come, you dummy! After what happened..." another girl scolded the first one.

"But they said it was safe!"

"Just come on already!" a boy shouted at them before running in the direction of the lake.

The other children followed, laughing. When they reached the frozen lake, they removed their boots and hurriedly pulled on the strange things they called skates instead. Jack watched with interest as they took a few tentative steps on the ice on the metal blades. Most of the children looked quite unsteady at first, but progressively started to move with more assurance. Jack joined them on the lake, easily sliding on the ice on his bare feet.

All day, Jack skated on the lake with the other children. He let himself forget for a moment that he was not one of them, that they could not see him or hear him laugh with them. He just let their laughter fill his ears and pretended that they were all having fun together. He could even ignore the few times that one of the kid went right through him while skating in wild patterns that he had not quite been fast enough to avoid.

He made sure that the ice was as smooth as it could be, after one of the kids fell because of a bump on the frozen surface. He could do that for them. He could be a good friend to them, even if they did not know.

His smile did not fade even when they had to return to their homes for the evening meal. He flew over them as they ran back to the village. The children were happy of a day spent in laughter and play and that made him happy too.

Only one child did not look happy that evening. Sitting on the low step in front of the door to her house, Pippa stared in the distance in the direction of the lake with a look of profound sadness and loneliness in her eyes. The children stopped laughing as they saw her, as if feeling guilty for being happy when she was so sad.

Jack stared at the little girl, leaning on his staff. Frost covered her eyelashes as if she had been crying and the cold winter air froze her tears. The girl rose to her feet as a woman voice inside the house called her name.

As the girl disappeared inside the house one more time, Jack wondered how she could be so sad and lonely when she had a home and a family.


	5. Gifts

**That's the longest one so far. A bit a fluff this time.**

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Jack stretched contently as he woke up, lying on the soft bed a bit longer than necessary before getting up. It had been so long since he had a bed of his own. The wind ruffled his hair playfully. The large window had been left wide open. Jack smiled and silently thanked North for giving him a place to stay.

He had been about to leave yesterday after what was supposed to be a quick visit to the workshop had ended up with him staying late for cookies, fruitcake and milk. Jack had yawned and excused himself before standing to go find himself a nice spot in the snow where he could lay down for the night before leaving the North Pole in the morning. North would have none of it.

"Come, come! I have something to show you," the big man said loudly, placing a large arm around his shoulders and herding him down the hallway to a series of guest rooms.

He had thrown open the door to one of them with a grandiose wave of his arm, revealing a room decorated in white and blue with snowflakes patterns of the bedcovers, walls and curtains. Real snowflakes drifted from the open window. The air was much colder here than elsewhere in the complex, making Jack feel at home.

"You always have a home here, whenever you want to stay."

The large man brought him against his chest in a hug, ruffling his snow white hair. Jack felt his chest tightened as he nodded in reply. He hadn't had a home in the past three hundred years and he had only recently remembered what that was like. He felt tears sting his eyes and freeze in his eyelashes without falling. He hoped North did not notice.

Jack finally rose from the soft bed. He had been lazing around long enough and the wind blew inside the room more strongly, as if insisting he got up. As he placed a bare foot on the cold floor, he felt it brush against something lying there next to his bed. He heard a faint tinting noise. He looked down curiously and spotted the blue shoes the elves had wanted him to wear when the Guardians had kidnapped him and tried to make him one of them. He chuckled at the memory as he gently kicked the shoes aside.

He stretched some more upon standing, enjoying how his body did not feel sore from lying on hard ground. He then half jumped and half flew to the open window, landing lightly on the windowsill and taking a deep breath of fresh air. Snow fell outside as it often did here even when he was not around.

He should likely be on his way somewhere, but the loud sounds of the elves and yetis coming from deeper into the workshop urged him to stay here some more. Talking to people and being acknowledged was still something rare for him and he did not want to give it up so soon. North told him he could stay as long as he wanted and he intended to remain at least one more day. He jumped down and was about to head out of his room when he spotted the shoes again from the corner of his eyes.

"Where do they come from anyway?"

Surely the elves had not made them. He did not think them bright enough to craft something as complex as shoes. Did North make them for a child and then changed his mind? Maybe the shoes had been lying around the workshop for years waiting for a potential owner. Curious, he bent down and picked one up.

They were blue cloth shoes with the symbol of the Guardians carefully embroidered on them in silver threads and little bells on the pointed toes. Surprise filled him as he realized the shoes had most likely been made especially for him. They looked his size, too. He never owned a pair of new shoes. Or shoes his own size. When he was still human, he had worn old shoes from older cousins who had outgrown them. He went around barefoot more often then not to avoid wearing them out more than necessary.

Hesitantly, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the shoe on. It fitted perfectly. He wondered how North had known the exact size of his feet. Likely this was part of being Santa Claus. You just had to know these things, to make proper gifts for each children. He picked up the other one, pulling it on his other foot. The feeling of the cloth around his feet was peculiar. He raised both feet to look at them.

"I look like a pixie."

He stood up and shuffled a few steps forward. The bells jingled as he moved his feet. He did not have the same grip with the soft soled shoes as he did when he was bare-footed. He would not be able to curl his toes around an object to stand on a small surface as easily, though the soles were quite flexible. He would need to rely more on the wind to hold him.

"But North made those for me."

It was a little baffling, really. To think that North had made him a pair of shoes, before Jack had even officially joined the Guardians. He felt his chest constrict once more.

"Does it bother him to see me going around without shoes?"

He likely thought he just made him a nice gift. Jack looked down at his feet again. He would have been overjoyed to have a pair of new, perfectly fitting shoes as a human boy. But he was no longer a human boy and the shoes would be impractical. He took a few unsteady steps. He felt like the first time he walked on the icy lake. It had been a long time since he had not been perfectly steady on his feet.

"I could wear them here, at least."

It would be no different than those kids wearing big bunny slippers around the house. They looked like they could not possibly have run or even walked at any speed with the silly looking things on, but they did not need to. They were safe at home, with no need to be able to run. He was safe here. He would not need to defend himself. It did not matter if he could not quite balance himself on a narrow surface as easily as usual. His life should not depend on it.

Looking down at his feet one last time, he flew out of the room, preferring to not actually try walking with his new footwear. The bells remained mostly silent. He felt a little silly looking, but he decided it was all worth it when North spotted the shoes and threw his arms around him in a crushing hug, obviously pleased.

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**I think I've wanted to write something about those shoes ever since I first watched the movie.**


	6. The Sandman

**A shorter chapter this time! I don't know that I'll be able to keep posting two a day, but reviews motivates me greatly.**

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Jack had not expected how weak the warmth of summer would make him. He spent several days just curled up in a tree near his lake before finally asking the wind to take him somewhere colder. He spent the remainder of the summer flying over a frozen sea and lounging on the floating ice. No one lived there that he could see, so it was even more lonely than usual. Only when it got cooler again had the wind pushed him back south.

As soon as he got back to populated areas, he took up his current favorite activity again: chasing the floating golden sand. He let the wind carry him at speeds he had not previously thought possible, running a hand through the golden stream and glimpsing the happy dreams of children as he did so.

For the first few days, he did not really bother trying to find the source of the sand, content to merely laugh as he flew from stream to stream, running his hand along them and letting the images of ponies and princesses wash over him. He would follow some streams to their destinations, smiling softly as he glanced at the sleeping children lost in the dream world.

After a week of this, however, he returned to the task that had kept him occupied in the spring. As soon as the golden sand appeared, he flew as fast as he could in the direction it came from. His time spent flying over the ice sea had paid off and he quickly saw a golden figure in the distance, floating on a cloud of the golden sand. Catching up to it proved a challenge, but eventually the small golden man on the cloud noticed him and slowed down.

Jack's heart skipped a beat when he realized the small man could see him. No one since the grumpy bunny man had ever seen him. His face splitting in a large smile, he hurried to join the one who sent golden dreams to the children every night. The man smiled gently and waved.

"Hello! How are you? I'm Jack Frost! Who are you?" he said in an exited voice, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a rush.

Communication was still a novelty to him so he just repeated what he heard people say when they met someone. He hoped he was not making too bad an impression, like he had with Bunnymund. The golden man tilted his head and held up a handful of sand in answer. Jack looked at it, puzzled for a moment before understanding.

"You're... the Sandman, right?"

He had heard the kids whisper about the legendary man who sprinkled sand into the eyes of children to make them fall asleep. The Sandman nodded, sending some more streams of golden sand into the surrounding areas. Jack flew along his cloud for a good part of the night night, watching him work with interest. The man never said a word, but the silence was a companionable one.

Finally, the golden man lowered his cloud, waiting for him to join. Jack landed in front of the cloud, looking at the Sandman expectantly. The man gave him one more smile and a small wave. Jack's smile faded.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

He should not be surprised, really, but he was still disappointed. He looked down at the frosting ground until a small hand patted his head, making him look up again. The Sandman smiled once more before raising a handful of sand up to his face and gently blowing on it. Jack blinked as the golden sand was blown into his eyes. He felt drowsy. He was dimly aware of the Sandman's hands on his arms, lowering him gently to the ground as reality faded around him.

That night, he dreamed of playing and laughing with friends and being held tightly in loving arms.


	7. Nice Shoes!

**Thank you to msmhtp for giving me the idea for that one. This is a follow up to **_**Gifts. **_**I went back and edited that chapter a little, since I forgot the shoes had little bells on them. That's even better.**

**Please note that I won't actually write in Bunny's accent. I'm not familiar enough with the Australian accent and I don't want to butcher it. You'll just have to use your imagination. **

**Fun fact: I had to watch the movie several times before I got some of Bunny's lines. Some of them I had to see written down before I had any idea what he was saying. I'm just not familiar enough with English to understand someone with a strong accent. (No problems with North, however, since his accent is really fake and exaggerated.)**

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Jack flew around the workshop, taking in the sights. After so long of trying to bust in there, it felt a little strange to be allowed to wander around as much as he wanted without any protests from the yetis. As long as he did not try to disturb their work that is. A yeti shooed him away from a line of toys he had been inspecting a little too closely for his tastes, turning the brightly colored ponies in his hand as he wondered why those had gotten so popular lately.

"Keep up the good work," he said brightly to the yeti as he flew away with a wave, the bells on his blue shoes tinting at the sudden movement.

Before he could find something else to keep his attention, a rabbit hole opened on the floor of the workshop. Jack panicked as he looked down at his feet. He could not let Bunny see him wearing those. He would never hear the end of it. He considered kicking them off and pushing them into a corner, but he knew the elves would just bring them back to him.

He flew behind a yeti, staying high enough that he could see Bunny coming out of the hole but making sure his feet remained out of sight.

"North! Keep your snow globes out of that bloody little pest's reach in the future," Bunny shouted, raising the colorfully painted elf by its hat and giving it a good shake.

The Easter Elf, as they had come to call him, held a new egg tightly against his chest. Every now and then, he sneaked into the Warrens to get a new one. The eggs, sadly, did not last forever. Bunny dropped him unceremoniously on the ground.

"Hi Bunny! North is in his office right now. You can go see him to tell him that."

Jack smiled innocently, trying to sound natural. If Bunny thought he was eager to see him leave, he would know he was hiding something and wouldn't go anywhere until he figured out what it was. He could bring the shoes back to his room while Bunny talked to North. Then, he'd be free to pester the Pooka as much as he wanted. The other Guardian looked at him a little suspiciously, but shrugged and took a step toward North's office.

Just as Jack started to believe everything would be fine, the Yeti he had been hiding behind suddenly ran to keep a precarious pyramid of toys from toppling over. Jack had to fly fast to keep his shoes out of sight, ducking behind a mound of teddy bears. Not only did this not look subtle at all, but he could not keep the damned bells quiet. He winced as Bunny turned around.

"What are you trying to hide there, Frostbite?" the he asked with a sinister smile.

Jack flew around the plushies in a jingling of bells as the Pooka tried to reach him. Bunny ran around and lunged at him, grabbing his ankle. Jack tried to fly away, hoping to tear his ankle free of Bunny's grip before the other had the chance to look at his catch. No such luck.

"Oh, that's bloody adorable."

The pooka shook his ankle, making the bells jingle again. His grin threatened to split his face apart. Jack threw him a death glare before pointing his staff at him and sending a blast of ice his way.

Bunny let go of him as he raised his hands to protect himself with a shout. The winter spirit flew away in a hurry, eager to get away from the other Guardian's mockeries. He planted his feet on a railing to propel himself to a higher level of the workshop faster, but the sole of the shoes slipped and he ended up awkwardly crashing into a pile of freshly painted toys laid out on a table across the way. He could hear Bunny laughing across the room.

He picked himself up from the table, frost forming over his cheeks in embarrassment. Fresh paint was smeared all over his face and clothes. A yeti stood to the side, waving a paintbrush wildly, looking crushed over his ruined work. Jack gave him an apologetic smile.

"What is happening here?" North bellowed as he walked into the room.

"Nothing, mate. Just returning your elf. And complimenting Frostbite here over his new shoes."

"Oh you like them? I thought they would fit him nicely."

Bunny turned around to face Jack. With his back to North, he gave Jack a wide, mocking grin.

"Yes. Very fitting. Good job, mate."

North beamed. Jack gave him a taunt smile while his eyes promised Bunny that his Warrens would soon be filled with snow.


	8. The Princess In The Tower

Sophie threw the windows of her room open angrily. It was so unfair. The stupid girl had it coming. She said the Easter Bunny was not real! Sophie knew he was. They all treated her like she was a baby, for believing in legends and fairy tales. Fairies were real too. She knew that.

But her mother would not listen to reason and had grounded her when she had learned that Sophie pushed her classmate into a mud puddle. She crossed her arms over her chest as she sat on the windowsill, sulking.

She had been supposed to go to the park with her friends today. They would play at pretending to be spring fairies, getting the park ready for the egg hunt this Sunday. They must have had so much fun while she stayed here, not allowed out of her room except for supper. Sophie sighed, staring out in the direction of the park longingly.

She could still play here, on her own. She could pretend that she was a princess locked in a tower by an evil witch jealous of her beauty. She could pretend that her prince would soon come to free her and carry her off into the distance.

Sophie stood up and straightened her back in a pose that she hoped was regal. She pulled her blond hair over her shoulder and arranged it in a way that she found properly princess-like. She stared out the window with the look of profound sorrow of one who had spent her life alone, separated from her true love. She silently prayed for her prince to come.

"What are you looking so sad about, Soph?"

Her regal demeanor fell away with a startled cry. Jack hanged upside down from the roof, grinning at her. He flipped around and crouched on the edge of her window instead, now almost eye-level with. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Mom won't let me go out! I was supposed to go to the park and play at being a fairy with my friends but I pushed a girl who said I was an idiot for still believing in the Easter Bunny and now I have to stay here! But he's real! I know he is."

"Whoa, calm down there Soph. You don't have to convince me the Easter Bunny is real. I know."

She blushed, feeling a little silly. Of course he knew.

"S-sorry... I just... I wished they wouldn't all stop believing. I don't want to grow up," she said, sniffling.

"Hey there, don't cry. How about we go play together at the park, you and me? You can be a fairy and I'll be... I don't know. We can figure that out."

"But mom won't let me go outside!"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Come on! Just hang on to me and I'll fly you there."

Sophie smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and let her prince carry her away from her prison.

* * *

**A really short one, but I wanted to write something with Sophie.**


	9. Santa Claus

**Headcanon #1: Jack was pulled from the lake on the winter solstice.**

* * *

Jack peered inside the window to see what the people inside were doing. It was one of the few houses in the village to have thick glass panes. The other windows were shuttered to keep the cold out.

The family inside all wore their finest clothes, or so he believed. Everyone had gathered in the main room. A large log decorated with green foliage and ribbons rested in the hearth. A small girl, barely more than a toddler, stood in front of it with an old man, both of them holding a burning stick as they prepared to light the fire.

Frost formed on the window, blocking his sight. Jack sighed. From everything he had been hearing since the moon had pulled him from the frozen lake, tonight was a night to be spent with your family. But Jack did not have a family. Feeling dejected, he walked back to his lake and sat down on the ice.

He looked up at the moon, large in the sky above him. It pulled him out of the ice he now sat on a few days ago, but did not tell him anything but his name. Jack Frost. That was all he knew about himself. Not what he was doing here or why no one would see or hear him. He sighed, pulling his legs against his chest and resting his chin on his knees.

He did not know how long he stayed like this, brooding on the ice of the lake that had given birth to him, when a sudden flash of light in the sky above the village caught his attention. Standing quickly, he could see a shape in the sky and hear bells jingling.

"Wind, bring me there!"

The wind picked him up and lifted him in the sky to meet up with the flying form hovering above the houses. Jack flailed wildly to keep himself stable in the air. The windows were dark at this time, everyone having gone to sleep. He heard booming laughter as a shape jumped from house to house, briefly disappearing as it reached each rooftop.

So focused was he on the scene in front of him, Jack did not see the large tree branch blocking his path until he collided with it. It knocked the air out of his lungs. With a cry, he fell back to the ground, landing in a snowdrift.

Before he could extract himself from it, the thing flying in the sky had disappeared in another flash of light. Jack sat there in the snow, gaping at the spot it had previously occupied.

"What was that?"

* * *

On his second Christmas, when he was barely more than a year old, he built himself a family out of snow on his frozen lake. He learned a lot about the Holiday and its traditions in the month preceding it. Everyone talked about it. So he had decided to hold his own celebration.

A fire was out of question, but he still placed a log decorated with green foliage in a hearth made from snow, with a child's lost stocking pinned to it with an ice shard. He placed his snow family, a man and a woman with five children and a grand-mother, around the hearth.

On the side of the lake, he had decorated a tall fir tree with icicles, with a beautiful ice star at the top. The large moon above reflected on the ice most beautifully.

He heard in the village that they told tales around the fire well into the night. He had not lived very long, but he told his snow family about his time spent flying with the wind or playing with the children, about the icy sea to the north, about the grumpy Easter Bunny and the Sandman who had given him sweet dreams for a night.

When he heard the sound of the bells from the village, indicating the coming of midnight, he stood and hugged is family made of snow.

"It's time to go sleep now. Santa Claus will come soon to deliver gifts!"

That was who he had seen last year, he now knew. He had not received any gifts then, but he had made sure to decorate his tree with the star at the top and hang a stocking on the mantel this time so Santa could leave him an orange if he had been nice, or a piece of coal if he had been naughty. He did not believe he had been naughty to anyone.

Jack waved his staff in the direction of the snowmen, lifting them off the ice and floating them over to lie in the snowdrifts next to the lake. Another wave sent snow to cover them like a blanket. With a smile, he joined them, curling up in the snow with his hide cloak held tightly around himself. He was still smiling softly when he fell asleep, waiting for Santa.

But in the morning, his stocking was still empty and no gifts lay underneath the tree. Not even a piece of coal. Jack hung his head in disappointment.

* * *

On his third Christmas, he did not try to celebrate. Instead, he flew around the country, stirring up a massive storm. And if it bothered a certain man in red delivering presents, well, he could not say that he cared.

A few hours after the storm had gotten really bad, he heard the sound of bells jingling, almost lost in the howling of the wind. He could not see the sleigh in the storm until it was right in front of him and he flew higher quickly to avoid colliding with it. A large man in a red coat with black fur trim glared at him.

"Hey! You! What do you thing you're doing? It is Christmas. That is no time for such a storm."

Jack smiled a little smugly. At least he forced the man to come see him.

"I'm Jack Frost. Causing storms is what I do."

"You are the winter sprite Bunny told me about, aren't you?"

That surprised him a little. The Easter Bunny and Santa Claus knew each other? Did they all have little tea parties he wasn't invited to? Jack frowned, but he nodded.

"Well you are now on naughty list!"

Jack grinned at that. At least he was now on Santa's list.

* * *

On his fourth Christmas, Jack decorated his tree again and hung the old stocking from the mantel of his snow hearth. He went to sleep smiling, knowing that his existence would at least be acknowledged tonight, even if only to remind him that he had been naughty.

But in the morning, the stocking remained empty. No piece of coal to tell him that Santa Claus even remembered him.

"Fine. I'll just have to keep reminding them of my existence."

* * *

**If all goes well, next one will be with Tooth. **


	10. The Tooth Fairy

**A quick note about the previous chapter, I don't think the Yule Log was ever an American tradition for Christmas but I didn't have internet access when I wrote that to look up something more fitting. What I did have was a ****_Christmas then and now _****newspaper article. Of course, this being Montreal, they're French Canadians traditions. I'm just going to use the "Jack's village was close enough to French held territories to have picked up some French traditions" excuse.**

* * *

Easter morning brought its share of teeth as children around the world hunted for eggs in not always safe locations. Tooth did not think Bunny ever hid them somewhere dangerous, but that did not keep children from looking. She fluttered around her Palace, giving orders to her fairies. She did not notice Bunny's arrival until he spoke.

"Happy Easter, Tooth."

She turned around with a smile as Bunny held a basket up for her. She flew to him and hugged him.

"Everything went well?"

"Mostly. Looks like we have a new winter spirit. Those are nothing but troubles."

"A new seasonal spirit?" she said, excited. "Is it a fairy?"

"No, it's a white haired boy. Looks sixteen or seventeen. You would like him; he has the whitest teeth I've ever seen. I swear they sparkle."

"Really? Oh, I just have to meet him."

Bunny looked irritated, muttering about how the world could do without more cold and death and that's all winter spirits bring with them.

"You look tired, Bunny. You should go sleep."

"I'm just going to wish Sandy a happy Easter, than I will."

She hugged him one more time and promised herself to go visit that winter spirit as soon as she could.

But for now, more teeth needed collecting.

* * *

North always insisted they come over to the North Pole on Christmas morning. Christmas was about family, he said, and they were like a family. Bunny would grumble that he did not bother anyone about coming to the Warrens for Easter and the two would argue about the importance of their respective Holiday. Tooth smiled fondly as she watched them.

"So? Met our new snowflake yet?" Bunny asked after giving up the argument.

"Snowflake? Oh, you mean the new spirit you told me about? No, I didn't see him."

At this, Sandy raised a finger and the form of a boy holding a shepherd's crook appeared above his head. Tooth guessed it must be him.

"You met him, Sandy?"

The little man nodded.

"Are his teeth really that white?"

Sandy placed his raised finger on his lips as he thought. Then he smiled and nodded at her.

If she did not have so much work, she would fly out to go see for herself.

* * *

"Hey, North, I heard there was quite a storm over the colonies tonight. It's still raging, actually." Bunny said as he arrived for their Christmas celebration.

"That's because your little winter spirit decided that Christmas night was good time for big storm."

"He's not my winter spirit, mate. And I told you he would be nothing but troubles."

"Really, guys, he can't be that bad, can he?" Tooth interrupted. "I mean... he has really white teeth."

They did not look like they considered this a redeeming quality.

* * *

Her fairies encountered him every now and then. Most often near that village he seems to call home, but he could be found all around the world. No matter the circumstances, they always came back to her to tell her lovingly about how bright his smile was and how his teeth sparkled like freshly fallen snow. They were willing to forgive whatever trouble he might have caused them.

Tooth kept telling herself that she would go meet him herself, but in the end it took the threat of Pitch to get her to come out of her Tooth Palace and meet the boy.


	11. Losing Sight Of What Matters

**I'm writing another chapter with Tooth to make up for how bad the previous one was. Sorry it's so short.**

* * *

Jack looked in amusement as Baby Tooth fluttered around the room, ordering the other fairies to their next destination. Tooth hovered next to him, for once free to stop and just chat for a moment without having to worry about the teeth being collected.

"I'm trying to train some of them to handle things here without me. If something happens again, I want to be free to go. She proved she was quite capable, so she's the first to learn to take over."

Jack grinned at Baby Tooth.

"So you got promoted, eh? Congratulations."

Baby Tooth turned back to him and looked very proud for a moment before turning back to her new duty with even more enthusiasm. She obviously tried hard to impress him.

"So you'll be free to go back in the field now. To see the children again."

Tooth wrapped her arms around herself with a look of regret. She stared down at the floor as she spoke next.

"I should have done this a long time ago. All of us, we should never have allowed ourselves to start caring more about how to bring joy to children rather than about the children themselves. To start seeing the children as merely lights flickering on the globe."

Jack stayed silent, not really knowing how to respond to that. Tooth raised her head to meet his eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek with a sad smile.

"Maybe if things had been different, we would have realized that other children needed us. Children who did not have a light on the globe. We wouldn't have let one alone for so long..."

It was Jack's turned to look down. Empty words of comfort came to him but he swallowed them back down. They both knew it was not alright.


	12. The Boogeyman

**I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. I know I don't always reply, since I'm terribly socially awkward, and that when I do reply I tend to ramble, so sorry about that. I love you guys. And everyone else who faved/followed/read this far. It keeps me writing.**

**This happens after the storm Jack caused in ****_Santa Claus_**

* * *

Jack let himself fall into the snow by his lake, exhausted. He never caused such a big storm before. It was draining. The anger he had been feeling for most of the month now had faded at last, leaving him feeling empty. He closed his eyes, ready to sleep all day. He knew that no children would come play outside today. They would be hard-pressed to even get out of their homes.

"Ah, there you are," a low, smooth voice said. "I wondered who was responsible for that storm. And on Christmas, too. North must not be pleased."

Jack opened his eyes and sat up, panic coursing through him. He clutched his staff tightly in his hands as he turned to face the speaker. The man behind him was tall and gaunt, with ashen skin and golden eyes. His lips stretched in a sinister smile. He looked like someone who would do a lot worse to him than putting him on the naughty list if Jack had displeased him.

He tightened his grip on his staff, even if he knew he could do little with it right now. He could not even stand without risking falling right back in the snow. A small part of him was still pleased that someone had just addressed him. The man was actually looking at him. Seeing him.

"Who are you?"

He his glad his voice did not shake. Maybe he could act like he remained sitting because he did not feel threatened and could not be bothered. Maybe the other would even believe it. The ashen smile widened at his question as the man took a step toward him. Jack had to fight the urge to scoot away.

"I'm Pitch Black. You may have heard of me as the Boogeyman."

"There's no such thing as the Boogeyman," he said, repeating words he often heard parents tell their children.

Pitch Black's features suddenly turned into a horrible grimace as rage filled his eyes. It lasted only a moment before he recovered his cool, but Jack could not help but flinch. The panic that had faded slightly at the polite conversation without immediate danger returned full force when Pitch kept approaching. Jack licked his lips nervously.

"So they all say. But they're wrong. But this isn't about me, Spirit of Winter, it's about you. Do you have a name?"

"I'm Jack Frost," he answered warily.

"There's no need to be afraid, Frost. I'm not here to fight you."

Jack hardly felt reassured. The sinister smile returned the man's lips.

"I'm quite impressed, really. Few could create such a storm. You have much potential, Jack Frost."

Pitch Black placed a hand on his shoulder as he reached him, smiling down at him. Jack wanted to smack that hand away with his staff, but he did not dare. He was not in any state to fight and could not risk angering the man. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"Ah, you're tired, of course. My apologizes. It was rude of me to come see you before you had a chance to rest. You should sleep, now."

Pitch gently pushed on his shoulder to make him lay back in the snow. Jack had no strength to fight it. His eyes closed against his will. He just had time to hear Pitch's last words before sleep took him.

"Winter is only beginning, after all."

* * *

**I think Pitch would have seen Jack as a potential ally early on, before realizing he's more interested in snowball fights than causing death and despair and ruining Christmas. Then he lost interest in him until the movie.**

**Also, I've switched the first two chapters around, but I don't think it updated on the site yet(But it may have by the time this chapter shows up). I thought ****_Who I am_**** made a more fitting beginning than ****_No Help Is Coming_****.**


	13. Merry Christmas

The workshop was quieter than Jack had ever seen it. North left a moment ago to deliver gifts to nice children everywhere and nothing needed to be done here that could not wait a few days. After the rush of last minute preparations, everyone was more than happy to retire to their bed and leave the cleaning for another day.

He came here a week ago to give North a hand. The mood had been frantic. It was certainly exciting, but he was glad it was over. He curled up in a large armchair by the gigantic Christmas tree, looking lazily into the flames burning into the hearth. More stocking then he could count hung from the mantel, one for every elf and yeti. They were still empty. North would only fill them when he returned.

Jack yawned, but he did not have the will to get up and walk back to his room. The heat from the fire sapped his strength, making him drowsy. He knew the other Guardians would come in the morning for their traditional Christmas breakfast and he was eager to see them. The last time they all gathered together was when they defeated Pitch.

This would be the first Christmas he celebrated with others. The first Christmas he would celebrated in a very long time, actually. He did not know how he felt about that. As much as he liked the other Guardians, as much as he was grateful to them for accepting him in their little family, he could not merely forget that they had left him alone for three hundred years.

Jack turned these thoughts in his head for a long time before finally falling asleep.

* * *

He woke up to the sound of bells. He peeked from under the large fur coat that had been thrown over him. The inside of North's coat was covered in frost and it did a good job of keeping him isolated from the heat in the room. Jack rubbed his eyes and took a look around.

The elves where running around, the bells on their hats ringing as they tried to jump to reach the stockings.

"Wait your turn, I said. Why are you always so impatient?"

Jack smiled at the scene. North picked stockings on the mantel and handed them out to eager elves, who then proceeded to empty them on the ground and stuff treats into their mouth. A few choked as they forgot to chew. The yeti seemed content to wait on the edges of the room for the elves to be done.

"Ah! Jack. Merry Christmas! The others will be here soon." North said in his booming voice, spreading his arms.

Jack's smile grew a little hesitant but did not fade. Despite his mixed feeling about North's invitation to spend Christmas here with the other Guardians, he could not deny that he enjoyed the company. Even if he had spent the better part of the past three centuries telling himself that it did not matter, he was glad to not be alone for Christmas this year. He briefly remembered a family made of snow. He chased the memory away.

"Here, this is yours."

North walked up to him, elves still trailing after him hoping for their stocking full of sweets, and handed him a pale blue Christmas stocking trimmed with white fur and decorated with delicate silver snowflakes. Jack pushed the half-frozen coat away to pick it up, staring at it as emotions battled inside his heart. He had not noticed the lone blue stocking last night, but it was unsurprising seeing how many had been hung in the relatively small space.

He could see candy canes poking out and smell the fresh sent of mint emanating from it. Jack could not forget the previous times he had looked inside his stocking on Christmas morning, only to find it empty. North must have guessed at what occupied his thoughts, for he placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"I know that it's too little too late, Jack. We can't simply make up for the past three hundred years. But what we can do is make sure that from now on, you are not alone anymore. Will you give us the chance to do that?"

Jack looked up into North's big, earnest eyes. His vision grew a little blurry with tears. He did not trust himself to speak, so he nodded instead. North enveloped him into a hug. He allowed the tears to fall as he hugged him back.

* * *

**I wish I could have phrased the ending better, but I could not think of anything that was not horribly cheesy. So this will have to do.**


	14. Always Believe

**EDIT: I did some much needed editing to the dialogue here. Sorry if it ever sound overly formal. That's actually how I speak if I ever need to have a conversation in English. Which is not often. Do point it out to me if that happens. I'll be revising other chapters too.**

* * *

When the first snow came, in late November, Jamie threw on his coat and ran outside. He looked around frantically, trying to spot the white-haired teenager that might or might not be responsible for this. It did not take long to find him, or rather to be found by him.

"Jamie! How've you been?"

Jamie almost fell over at the sudden voice coming from behind him. He spun around to see Jack grinning at him, casually leaning on his staff. Jamie threw himself at him, hugging him tightly. Jack tensed briefly before relaxing. He was cold, but Jamie did not care.

"You're here! You're really here! I didn't imagine everything from this spring."

"Of course you didn't. Did you expect that?"

"N-no... not really. It just all felt so surreal I was afraid... that it was all just a dream. But I didn't stop believing, I swear!"

"I know you didn't. Or else you wouldn't be able to see me or touch me right now."

Jamie frowned, pulling away. He had been wondering about that for a while now. About why he hadn't been able to see Jack before saying his name, even though he had been in the room.

"That's how it works?No one can see you if they don't believe in you? So the adults walking around us can't see you?"

"Yep, that's how it works. To them, you look like you've been talking to an imaginary friend right now. Hugging air, too. We might want to move to somewhere else."

Jack grinned at him, obviously amused as he blushed and threw glances around. A few passersby looked at him, shaking their head or smiling fondly at the antics of a child. Jamie could feel his ears turning red. He nodded slightly at Jack's suggestion, following the Guardian to the lake.

On his way there, he thought about what Jack had just told him. He remembered how, when he had seen the Guardians in his room, the Easter Bunny had said some things as if answering a question that Jamie had not heard. From someone he couldn't see. He had not believed in Jack Frost then. He did not think many did. He remembered how overjoyed Jack had been that Jamie could see him.

A thin coating of ice appeared on the surface of the lake as Jack sat on one of the large rocks surrounding it. His feet barely reached the surface, the ice thickening underneath. Jamie cautiously climbed on the rock to sit next to him.

"So..." he hesitantly started when they were settled, "was it something new for you, to be believed in? To have someone see you?"

Jack was silent for a moment, staring across the small lake. Jamie shifted uncomfortably, hoping his words did not hurt the teenager.

"Yeah. You were the first to believe in me."

"Is it because you're new?"

"New?"

"Well, yeah. You look pretty young. And they only made you a Guardian this spring! It must take a while before people start to know your name."

"It doesn't really work that way, Jamie. There's a lot of legends, but only four Guardians. Five, now. And we don't age. I've been around for three centuries. Many people knew my name, but they didn'tt believe in me."

"Oh."

Jamie did not know how to react to this. To think that Jack was this old was really mind-boggling. He could not really wrap his head around how long three centuries was. And all this time, no one had believed in Jack Frost.

"At least you had the others, no? Even if humans couldn't see you..."

Jack bit his lip and looked away.

"We weren't exactly on friendly terms, before the Man in the Moon chose me to become a Guardian."

"Then... who did you spent the past three centuries with? I mean... you must have had some friends to talk to?"

Jack did not answer. He stared down at his feet as frost raced over the surface of the lake. Jamie remembered the look on Jack's face when he asked him if he could hear him. As if he did not really dare hope. He had been breathless when he realized that Jamie could see him.

Jamie half-turned on the rock and threw his arms around Jack again, startling him.

"Children believe in you, now. I believe in you. I'll never stop believing in you."

"I know you won't"

But there was sadness in Jack's voice. As if he did not really believe his own words.

* * *

**I got so much wonderful feedback today that I decided to write one more before I disappear for the holidays. I likely won't post anything until after Christmas, as I won't be home. I have one more with Jamie planned as well as something with Bunny, then I don't know. But I'll have a few days to think about that.**


	15. An Overdue Apology

**I wasn't expecting to have time to write another chapter before leaving, but looks like I did! I might even have time to write something tomorrow, but don't hold your breath. I won't be home, but I might be able to borrow my mom's computer for a while. Otherwise, I should be back on the 26th.**

* * *

Bunny would not have noticed anyone observing him had he not expected it. He carefully finished arranging the branches of the bush he just hid an egg in before standing back up and looking around the park, crossing his arms. Seeing what town he was in at the moment, he knew who it must be.

"No cheating, Snowflake. You let the kids find the eggs on their own."

Laughter came from a tree to his left. He glared that way, easily spotting the hiding teenager. The leaves had barely started to grow and made for a poor cover, even in the dark. Jack smiled innocently, leaning on a thick branch.

"Of course. Why do you always think the worst of me?"

Bunny narrowed his eyes at him, pointing a finger up accusingly.

"Because I know you, that's why."

"Now you're just being mean. See, I was in the mood to make a few snowstorms here and there, but I figured you had a hard enough time last Easter so I should go easy on you."

Bunny lowered his finger, his expression softening.

"Well, that's nice—wait a moment. You mean you would have caused a few storms on Easter had Pitch not ruined the last one?"

Jack's innocent smile widened.

"What are you still doing here, Cotton-Tail? Don't you have eggs to hide all over the world? It's your big day, after all."

Jack's tone as mockingly concerned. He found Bunny's job of painting and hiding hard-boiled eggs to be hilarious. Bunny wanted nothing more than to throw his basket at him, but Jack's words hurt for another reason. He looked down and shuffled a little, uncomfortable.

"I, uh, I can spare a moment to chat."

His change in demeanor must have clued Jack in to what he was thinking. His smile faded for a moment, unsure. Then it returned, even more mocking then before.

"Should I go get some tea and biscuits?"

"Look... I just want to say I'm sorry, alright? Easter is... stressful sometimes and I can get a little more cranky than usual. I shouldn't have... I mean I should have been more..."

"Would you like me to come down and hug you, Cotton-Tail?"

This time Bunny did throw his basket at the annoying brat. This was hard enough and the kid was not making it any easier.

"Look, I said what I had to say, but you're right, I have eggs to hide."

He tapped the ground with his foot a little harder than he really needed to. Jack's voice stopped him just before he jumped in.

"Hey, Bunny!

"What," he said tersely.

Jack floated down from the tree. He gave him that overly adorable smile, the one where he tilted his head down and looked up at him.

"Happy Easter."

Bunny grumbled something that could be either 'shut up' or 'thank you'. He could not keep a faint smile off his face as he jumped into the tunnel.


	16. Snowballs And Fun Times

Pitch advanced on the small group of helpless Guardians on his nightmare, triumphant. They may not be quite beaten yet, but it was only a matter of time. Only one child still believed in them and that child was terrified.

Pitch's lips stretched into a thin smile as Jack Frost kneeled next to the last light to reassure him. What could he say that would make the darkness any less frightening? The child merely looked confused at his words. The winter spirit turned out to not be much help after all.

The young Guardian's presence here had been a surprise. He had expected the boy to eventually pull himself out of his hole and maybe even repair that staff of his, but not so soon. No, he had hoped he would have time to deal with the others first. Maybe he would reconsider his offer, with his hopes of joining the Guardians' happy little family well and truly crushed. Whatever the boy said, he did not really want to be left alone. But things had gone a different way and he would have to deal with that now.

But first, he had a light to snuff out.

"So what do you think, Jamie? Do you believe in the Boogeym—"

A snowball to the face rudely interrupted him. He heard them laugh. He should be angry, but for a moment, as he felt the cold frost on his nose, the anger did not come. He sat on his nightmare, frozen in place as an irresistible desire to just forget everything and laugh took over him. For a few wild seconds, he wanted to put aside his thoughts of fear and revenge and throw a snowball back at the escaping Guardians. The escaping Guardians. They were getting away.

Pitch shook himself free of the winter spirit's magic, the anger coming at last. He wiped the snow from his face as rage boiled into his heart. He would make the boy pay for this humiliation.

He would make him pay for letting him believe, for a moment, that there could be more for him than darkness and hatred.

* * *

**This is my interpretation of why it took Pitch so long to react after getting a snowball in the face.**

**I went to see Rise of the Guardians with my parents today, so I got to watch the French dub for the first time (The Quebec French dub. There's at least two French dubs. They even have different titles.). I couldn't help but be amused at how they made the scene where Pitch ask Jack to join force with him sounds like a proposal. He was talking about what their union could do and the marriage of cold and dark. I was half expecting him to go down on one knee and pull out a ring from somewhere. **


	17. Kids Need To Grow Up

The glowing numbers on Jamie's alarm clock indicated that it was past midnight, but he did not really feel tired. He lay in his bed, lazily watching big snowflakes fall outside. With the moonlight reflecting on the freshly fallen snow, it looked a lot brighter outside than it should be.

Jamie loved the snow. Part of him wanted to get out of bed and go sit on the window, watching it fall like he had so many times before. If he was younger, he would likely have begged his mother to let him go outside and play, even in the late hour. He smiled a little, remembering his mother's exasperated look whenever he had asked her that on a weekday. She would always say that he had school in the morning and the snow would still be there when he woke up. Sometimes, he snuck out to play anyway. Usually at the insistence of a certain white-haired Guardian.

He was too old to be sneaking out to play in the snow, now. Or so he always told himself. And he should likely try to be responsible and sleep. He did have school tomorrow. He turned his back to the window and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

It was only a moment later that something cold and wet connected with his neck. He let out a little shriek at the sudden sensation of snow on his skin, turning around to glare at the now-open window.

"It's late, Jack. I'm trying to sleep."

Jack smiled innocently at him from the window. Jamie could not really be mad at him.

"But you're not sleeping yet."

Jamie picked up what he could of the half-melted snow and threw it back at Jack. It did not get very far, but it certainly made the young Guardian laugh. Jamie gave a helpless little smile.

"What do you want?"

Jack spread his arms with a large smile.

"It's snowing outside."

"I know that."

The winter spirit jumped lightly from the window to the bed, kneeling next to him and tugging on his arm.

"Come on! It's the last snow of the season. It's already spring. You don't want to let it all go to waste, do you?"

"The snow is still going to be there in the morning, Jack. I got school tomorrow."

Jack gave him such a crestfallen look that Jamie felt bad. He glared at the Guardian, knowing he was probably doing that on purpose to get him to agree to go outside with him. Jack's look turned sulky.

"Now you sound like your mom."

There was a hint of sadness underneath Jack's exaggerated expressions and Jamie wondered if anything had happened to make him want to make some snow fall this late in spring so he could come bother him into playing outside with him. Maybe he got into an argument with Bunny again. They could say things they would regret later when that happened. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Alright, alright. I'll come. But not for long."

A bright, child-like smile split Jack's face and Jamie felt himself smile back. As hard as it was to leave the warmth of his bed, he was actually looking forward to going outside while the snow was fresh and still gently falling. He let the Guardian tug him out of his bed and walked to the door. He was not going outside barefooted and wearing only his pajama in the snow. The last time he had done that, he had been quite sick after.

He winced when the floor creaked as he walked by his mother's door. He froze in place, hoping she wouldn't wake up.

"Jamie is that you?" she asked sleepily. "Are you sneaking out to see your girlfriend again?"

"N-no, mom. I'm just going outside for a moment. I... just want to see the snow."

"Alright, but don't be out too late. You have school tomorrow."

Jamie sighed. At least his mother didn't mind as much when he went outside late anymore, but her suspicions could be... embarrassing. Jack was looking at him with a startled smile and a raised eyebrow, his eyes sparkling.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend."

Jamie glared and pointed down the stairs. He didn't want his mother to think he was talking to himself, too. He had to be careful with that now. He was not a child anymore and these things were just not shrugged off.

Jack flew down the stairs and waited for him there, almost jumping up and down with impatience. Jamie took the time to grab his coat and pull on his boots before walking out the back door.

"So? That girlfriend?"

"There is no girlfriend."

"So who was your mom talking about?

"You."

The look on Jack's face as he gaped at him was quite worth it. Jamie raised his hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. The poor Guardian looked completely at a loss of how to react to that.

"B-but... I-I'm not... your girlfriend," he stammered, as if he actually thought Jamie needed to be informed of that.

"I know that. But you keep dragging me outside at odd hours and I can't exactly tell her who I'm spending my time with. So she thinks I'm seeing a girl in secret."

"Oh."

Jamie had expected Jack to find the situation hilarious, but the spirit of winter looked surprisingly guilty. He shuffled in place a little, looking down at his feet.

"I hope it's not causing too much trouble."

"She wants me to introduce my girlfriend to her. She's getting suspicious the longer I refuse. Last month ago she told me that it's alright if I'm different and that she'll love me anyway. I had to explain to her that I'm not gay."

"I'm sorry..."

An awkward silence stretched between them. Jamie felt sorry he had said anything. Maybe he should just have let the Guardian think he really had a girlfriend. But then he would want to see her, too. And he didn't like lying to Jack. He had not expected the Guardian to take this so seriously.

"Look, it's ok. It's not a big deal. I thought you dragged me out of bed to have fun?"

Jack looked up again and plastered a smile on his face. Jamie knew him enough to know it wasn't entirely real. Before he could say anything, however, the white-haired teen grabbed him by the arm again and dragged him in the courtyard.

"Let's build a snowman. That way, she'll know you really stayed here."

Jamie had not built a snowman in a long time and he had to admit it turned out more fun than he had remembered. It wasn't long before they were having fun for real instead of just trying to convince themselves that they were.

Laughing, Jack started to shape their ordinary looking snowman to make it look like Bunny, with ridiculously exaggerated features. Jamie laughed harder than he had in a long time as he tried to imagine how the Easter Bunny would react to the snow caricature. He would not be happy. Jamie ran back inside to get a carrot, placing it in the snowbunny's fist, making Jack laugh even harder.

He must have made enough noise to wake up his mother again, for she knocked on the window and gestured at him to go back to bed now. He gave her a sheepish smile before heading back in. He turned back to Jack before entering, waving at the Guardian.

"I guess you'll be leaving the area for a while, right?"

"Yeah, until fall. You guys got enough snow for now."

"See you this fall, then!"

Jack's smiled faltered. Something was obviously bothering the Guardian. Jamie bit his lip for a moment before deciding to simply ask.

"What happened?"

Jack looked like he wanted nothing more than to fly away and avoid the question. He bit his lip, shuffled around and played with his staff uncomfortably.

"I saw Cupcake."

That worried Jaime greatly. Last time he saw Cupcake, she had looked better than she had in a long time. High school had been hard on the big girl and she had been getting increasingly depressed. But her parents had her see a therapist and she was actually smiling when he last saw her. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"What about Cupcake? Did something happen to her? I thought she was doing better..."

"She is. She looks a lot happier. More confident. And that's great."

"Then what—Oh. She doesn't believe in you anymore."

It wasn't really a question, but Jack shook his head to confirm that he had guessed right. Jamie's heart sank. She had been the last one of his friends to still believe in the Guardians. They were seventeen years old, now, and the others had long since written off that night so long ago as a dream. Only Cupcake, the big girl who loved unicorns, had hanged on to the memories. And Jamie knew it had just contributed to her isolation.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's normal. Kids grow up. They need to. It was only hurting her."

Jamie didn't have anything to answer to that, so he stayed silent. Jack bit his lip again before finally looking him in the eye. He needed to tilt his head back to do that. Jamie remembered how ridiculously proud he had been when he first realized that he was now taller than Jack.

"I'll see you again in fall, Jamie. But maybe it would be better if you didn't see me."

Jamie's eyes widened. He tried to grab Jack's sleeve before the white-haired teen flew away, but his fingers closed on air as the wind picked up the Guardian. Jack floated above the snow Bunny for a moment, looking down at him with a sad smile.

"Good night, Jamie."

* * *

**That's my longest one so far. It was originally supposed to be just a light and fluffy scene of Jack dragging Jamie outside to build a snowman, but it seems like I can't write something just light and fluffy anymore. Also, I haven't written anything from Jack's point of view since chapter 13, for some reason. Next one should be from his POV.**


	18. Learning To Fly

**Really sorry about the mood whiplash in the previous one. I swear I'll write something fluffy at some point. This one is based on the short ****_Learning to Fly _****comic. If you haven't seen it, you can find it on Dreamworks' tumblr or the RotG facebook page. And likely elsewhere. It's not actually necessary to see it before reading this.**

The spring's warmth melted the ice of his lake. He could still walk on its surface, the water freezing beneath his feet, but the ice soon melted again when he left. The lake had remained frozen for a while even after all the snow disappeared, much to the puzzlement of the villagers, but even it had to thaw sooner or later. Spring had come and, as Bunnymund had so recently told him, he wasn't needed anymore. He slowly relinquished his hold on the lake.

With the thaw, a flight of ducks decided to call the lake their home. Jack didn't mind. He could share. He had learned early on that, unlike humans, animals could see him. But that didn't mean they wanted anything to do with him. They usually fled if he got near.

Jack watched the ducks from the trees. He admired how graceful they were in flight. None of his wild flailing. They glided on air currents as easily as his feet could slide on the ice. And he had been so proud of how much his flying had improved, too. Now he could see he was about as graceful riding the winds as the ducks were when they walked on land. He could manage, but that was it.

Jack resolved to learn. Now that his work as a winter sprite, whatever that was, was done for now, he had plenty of time. The duck first took flight when he walked on the water to the center of the lake. Jack kneeled there and waited. He observed them as they slowly returned to the lake, wary of him but still willing to share the water with him. As time passed and he remained immobile, the ducks came nearer, sometime swimming close enough for him to touch them. He did not try, afraid they would fly away again if he did.

Jack spent days watching the birds fly, only leaving his spot at night to go sleep in a tree. They did not pay attention to him anymore. He even, on a few occasion, brushed his icy cold fingers against a feathery back, getting nothing more than an indignant squawk in answer. He smiled widely after his first successful contact with the birds. He could touch them. To the ducks, he was real. That felt good.

When they had gotten accustomed enough to his presence, Jack rose from his little icy spot on the lake to fly with them. He tried to put his observations into practice, but it wasn't as easy as it looked. But the Wind helped him and he persevered. He rode the same current as the birds, gliding on the air with a bit more grace than he previously had.

Jack thanked the birds. They did not answer him, but he did not mind. He was grateful for their acceptance, their company and their teachings. He felt elation course through him as he sped through the air. The Wind carried him over the countryside and for once he could really look at the view instead of concentrating on trying not to fall or run into anything. He felt, for the first time, like he had accomplished something. He knew the Wind was proud.

**I had some trouble ending that one. I always find it harder to think of a good ending than a good beginning. Mostly because I'm less picky about beginnings.**

**Also, thank you for the all the reviews for the past chapter (I wasn't expecting that many in less than three hours. I usually get only half that in a day.). It's one of those chapters I really wasn't sure if it was good or not, so now I'm relieved.**


	19. Santa's Workshop

It was during one of his summers flying above the northern sea of ice that the realization hit him. He always heard the children say, when Christmas came near, that Santa lived in his workshop at the North Pole. As far as he could tell, this was the North Pole, or close to it at least. This meant that Santa's workshop was somewhere around here.

Curious and maybe a little eager to potentially cause the big man in red some trouble, Jack started his long search for the place. He flew over the Arctic Sea and looked at every glacier, every piece of land, to find the place of magical wonder so many children dreamt of.

He did not really know where to look, so the search was long, but eventually, he found it. The fortress-like building blended in well with its icy surroundings. Most of it was covered in thick layers of ice and snow. But he was Jack Frost and if there was a thing he knew well, it was ice and snow. He could tell when something about it looked out of place. Like windows, for example.

Grinning widely, Jack flew over to one of the windows. He wiped the frost covering it and peered inside. The room on the other side was empty and dark, but a distant light visible through a partially open door caught his attention. This was perfect. He eased the window open and silently slid inside. It appeared to be some kind of storage area for the materials used to make toys.

He stopped for a moment to listen. Loud noises came from somewhere past the door. Jack smiled eagerly. He floated to the door and peeked outside, at a narrow, curving hallway leading deeper into the complex. He hurriedly ducked back inside, however, as he heard heavy footsteps coming nearer from somewhere past the curve.

Holding his breath, he watched as a large, hairy form walked in front of the room he was hiding in. He poked his head out after it passed him, staring with wide eyes at its receding back.

"Is that a yeti?" he whispered quietly in wonder.

Shaking himself, he left the relative safety of the deserted room to fly down the hallway in the direction the yeti had come from. He followed the noise, hoping to discover the area where the elves made Christmas toys for all the children who had been nice. Further down the hallway, past the curve that had blocked his sight, he spotted an open door leading to a brightly lit room. The chaotic noises of what he assumed was toymaking obviously came from there.

His smile returning, Jack flew faster. He could not see much from where he was but the occasional form darting back and forth across the room beyond. In his eagerness, he was not careful. Just as he had been about to reach the room, another yeti exited. Jack had to abruptly stop to avoid crashing into its hairy chest.

"Uh-oh..."

Jack gave the stunned yeti an apologetic smile before flying the other way as quickly as he could. He could hear it run after him, bellowing angrily. If only he could reach the room he had entered the complex from, he could make a quick exit.

Jack froze when he spotted the first yeti coming back in front of him. It blocked his way to the only way out that he knew of. And it looked angry. Panicked, Jack flew back the other way, momentarily forgetting the other yeti.

He could not stop quickly enough to avoid the crash this time. The air was knocked out of his lungs as he collided with the furry creature with enough force to stun him. He blinked owlishly from his new position on the ground, not sure how he had ended up there. The yeti loomed over him, frowning. Jack tried smiling innocently.

"Oh, hello there. I think I'm lost."

Jack did not know whether or not the yeti believed him, but the brute picked him off the ground and threw him on a large hairy shoulder like he weighted no more than a rag doll. Not that he was heavy, but it was still disconcerting. The yeti exchanged words with its companion in a language of grunts that Jack felt he could almost understand, as foreign as it was.

Jack wiggled in the furry giant's grip, trying to slip free and make a run for it. It was only when he gripped the thick fur with both hands that he realized he was missing something. His eyes widening, he spotted his staff lying on the ground as the yeti started to walk down the hallway, away from the bright, noisy room.

His wiggling turned to frantic struggles as panic seized him. He had never been separated from the staff before. In some strange way he did not quite understand, it was a part of him. He could not simply leave it behind. He kicked and screamed and tugged hard on the fur, freezing it as much as he could without the powerful conduit to his powers. He even tried biting the yeti.

"Wait. Wait! My staff! I need it. Wait, I say!"

The yetis actually stopped and looked at each other in puzzlement. They exchange a few grunts, before the one not holding Jack went back down the hallway to pick up the fallen staff. Jack grew very still in the yeti's arms. He could feel the strong grip on the flimsy piece of wood as if the large furry paw was clenching a part of his very soul. He did not know what would happen to him if the staff should get damaged.

He did not struggle again as he was carried down the hallway, his eyes remaining fixed on his most precious possession in apprehension, as if expecting it to snap like a twig any moment. He did not even notice they had brought him outside until he was unceremoniously dropped in the snow. The two yetis grunted angrily at him, but he was not listening. All that mattered was that the one holding his staff was handing it back to him.

He snatched the shepherd's crook out the giant's grip, hugging it to his chest. He sighed in relief as he watched frost cover it again. He gave the two yetis a happy little smile as they made shooing motions at him before slamming the door shut.

Realizing the danger had passed and he had not been harmed in any way, Jack started planning his next attempt to enter the workshop. He was not in a hurry; he had a lot of free time and what was starting to look like eternity ahead of him. Jack grinned.

"Better luck next time, I guess."


	20. Memories

**I wasn't sure I would be able to write anything today, not for lack of time but because I'm kind of failing at being creative today (my attempts to draw failed miserably), but here it is! A chapter! I even managed something mostly fluffy! Or at least not sad. I think. Oh, and this is chapter 20! Yay!**

* * *

The Tooth Palace was a chaotic mess when Jack arrived, but in a good way, this time. The little fairies fluttered around the floating spires at breakneck speeds, carrying golden teeth containers from where they rested in piles on the floor to their proper place.

Jack smiled. It felt good to see the place so lively. It was a nice change from the only time he had been here before, when it had looked empty and dead. The fairies wasted no time after Pitch's defeat. They worked hard to return the Tooth Palace to its former glory and continue their tooth gathering operation. Judging from the size of the golden piles, much smaller than when he had seen them in Pitch's lair, they were doing well.

Tooth was not hard to find. She was a blur among the smaller fairy, giving them instructions so fast that her voice was nothing more than a buzzing sound to his ears. The fairies seemed to understand her just fine, though.

Jack flew to her, waving at several mini fairies that paused whatever they were doing as he flew by to stare at him with slightly unfocused eyes and a large smile. It was not long before the only one of Tooth's little helper who did not have a baffling infatuation with his teeth—or at least was better at hiding it—spotted him and hurriedly joined him. Baby Tooth buried her face in his hair as she rubbed her cheek against it, telling him in her fairy language, whose words he could not understand but whose general meaning he could still decipher, that she was happy to see him.

"Missed me already, Baby Tooth?"

He laughed and raised a finger to pat her little head. He was happy to see her as well. Not far from them, Tooth turned around in surprise at the sound of his voice. She smiled warmly when she saw him.

"Jack!"

Tooth flew up to him, hugging him tightly. Jack could swear he had been hugged more in the short time since he joined force with the Guardians and eventually became one of them than in his entire life before that. His entire life as Jack Frost, that is. He hugged Tooth back, grateful for the human contact. Or fairy contact, however you wanted to call it. Baby Tooth noisily let them know when she decided that the hug was lasting a little too long for her taste.

Tooth let go with a small laugh, flying back enough to actually look at him.

"I'm glad you came to visit, Jack."

He gave her a lopsided grin in answer, amused at the way her eyes were immediately drawn down to his teeth as he did. She grew a little starry-eyed. Jack could not even begin to understand what was so great about his teeth that it would make her act like a lovesick teenage girl, but the Tooth Fairy could be particular when it came to teeth. He decided to just chalk it up to one of the oddities that made the Guardians so uniquely... unique.

"I know you guys aren't used to visiting each others, so I hope you don't mind if I drop in every now and then."

"You're always welcome here, Jack. We all get a little caught up with what we're doing, sometimes, so we don't leave our homes very often, but we would all be happy to have you visit."

"Even Bunny?"

"Even Bunny. He'll just pretend he isn't."

He laughed at that. Jack could not deny that he had a soft spot for Bunny, like he was an older brother he loved to annoy. Maybe because he had been the first to ever speak to him or even just acknowledge his existence, but Jack had sometime actively sought to attract the Easter Bunny's attention. Like on that Easter Sunday of '68.

"As nice as it is to see you, there's actually a reason I came here."

"Is everything alright? Do you need something?"

"No, no. I just came to return this."

Jack pulled the golden box with the little picture of a mischievous looking brown-haired boy out of the pocket of his hoodie and held it out to Tooth.

"Here. I won't need these anymore. They should go back to where they belong."

"Oh. Are you sure? You can keep them a little longer, if you want."

"No. It's alright. I've watched the memories they held already. That's all I needed."

Tooth carefully picked the golden box from his hand, lifting it up to inspect it. Baby Tooth looked between him and the box. She knew more than anyone how much he had wanted it and how much the memories it held meant to him. He smiled reassuringly at both of them.

"So do you remember everything now? About your former life?"

He shook his head.

"No. I've seen my most precious memories, thanks to the teeth, but everything else is very vague. I know I was the son of a shepherd, that I had several cousins, that we were not a very wealthy family, but no details. It's as if I'm looking back through fog."

The fairy looked disappointed. She stared at the box in her hands, as if wishing it would be more help.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I wish there was anything more I could do."

"It doesn't matter. I know what I wanted to know. I know why I'm here, why I was chosen to be a Guardian. I know... I know that I had a home and people who loved me."

He looked Tooth in the eyes and grinned again. This time, she did not let herself be distracted by the white, sparkly teeth. She kept eye contact with him.

"It's time I make my own happy memories, now. With my new family."

* * *

**Now that it's the week-end again, I'll get to do some more writing. There's a longer than usual story that I have planned but did not have time to write yet. Also, good news for you guys, I'll be spending New Year all alone at home, so I'll likely do another writing spree during my two days off. **


	21. You Will Fear Me

**I just noticed that I may not have been sticking to one spelling for grey/gray. I don't have a favored one myself and the way I learned it in school varied every year, depending on where that year's English teacher was from. Sorry if that bothers anyone. I'll try to stick to "grey" from now on.**

**This is set a few years after the movie. It's a sort-of companion piece to ****_Snowballs And Fun Times_**

* * *

Jack made his way south From the North Pole, laughing. He was always eager to bring winter to a new part of the world and he had decided that southern Chile could use some early snowfall. This was the part he liked most, bringing the first snows. The ones that people greeted with joy, having come to miss it during the warmer months. They were less enthusiastic about it, by the time spring came, thought children who knew how to have fun still welcomed it.

Speaking of such children, maybe it was not so late in the spring that he could not bring some late season snow to the town of Burgess. Belief in him had spread in the town he called home so that now few were the young children who could not see him. He was still invisible to most, elsewhere in the world, but he did not mind. One step at a time.

He grinned as Burgess came into view, wondering where he should start. He would freeze his lake again, he decided. It always brought him some satisfaction to do this, especially this late in spring or early in fall. It would upset the ducks, but the ice wouldn't last the day, once he left. After that, he could find some victims for a snowball fight.

Jack dove in the general direction of the lake, enjoying the freefall for now. As caught up in the moment as he was, he did not see the cloud of black sand seemingly materializing in front of him before it was too late. With a shocked cry, he only had time to raise his arms to cover his face before crashing right through it.

The sand only offered minimal resistance, though at that speed it was still quite painful, but the nightmares he glimpsed during the short contact were disorienting. He pointed his staff in the direction of the sand and sent a blast of ice that way, trying to recover his bearing before the one he knew to be behind this could do anything more.

That did not work out too well, however. Not only did his ice mostly missed the black sand, but even as he sent out the blast, a large black scythe connected with the arm holding the staff, sanding it snapping to the side painfully. Had he been human, the arm would have been cleanly severed. But it took a lot more than that to really hurt a legend, especially a Guardian.

His entire arm felt numb after the blow and it was all he could do to simply keep his fingers warped around the staff enough to avoid dropping it. It was sadly not enough to keep the grey hand, whose long fingers curled themselves around the shaft, from simply tearing it free of his grip. Jack would have fallen, had the black cloud not moved underneath him to catch him. It felt more solid this time, but still assaulted his mind with nightmarish visions.

"Pitch."

The man slowly grinned at him, looking smug. He held his scythe in one hand and Jack's staff in the other. His skinned crawled when he saw, and felt, the staff, free of its usual frost, into Pitch's hand. He remembered well what happened last time. But Pitch was not exactly in a position of superiority, here. No impressive waves of the nightmare sand ready to crush any who would attack him. Only the two small clouds holding them up and the wicked-looking black scythe. Maybe he could talk himself out of this.

"So nice to see you again, Jack. I knew you'd come back here. I was waiting for you."

"That's flattering, but I don't have time to play with you. Just give me back my staff, and I'll be on my way."

It did not exactly sound commanding. The Nightmare King's grin widened and he let go of the scythe, letting the black sand swirl around him instead, ready to be used however he saw fit. He grabbed the staff in both hands, turning it around slowly to inspect it. Jack shuddered.

"I'm not here to play, Jack."

"What do you want, Pitch? You can't be thinking about rising against the Guardians yet. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Oh, I'm not that ambitious. Not yet. It's a little early to start bringing fear to the children again. But I should be able to manage one child. A single, helpless little child."

For one panicked moment, Jack thought that Pitch had taken a hostage again. That he was planning of harming an innocent child in a petty revenge against the Guardians. It took him a minute before it dawned on him that it was him Pitch was referring to. Jack glared, not enjoying being called helpless. Or a child, really. He had been seventeen when he died.

"I told you before, Pitch, I'm not afraid of you."

"No?"

Pitch stroked the thin staff with his thumb in an almost loving way, his grin turning even more sinister. The sensation was almost impossible to describe, like dark fingers ghosting against his soul. It creeped him out more than he cared to let Pitch know.

"It's a shame that, unlike you, I can't just force people to fear me. Wouldn't that make things easy? To be able to just touch them with my darkness and let the fear take a hold of their mind? But that's alright, I like a challenge."

"W-what are you talking about?" Jack asked, confused.

"Your snowflakes, Jack. The way you can just twist the mind of others into having fun, whether they want to or not. Such a shining example of the forces of Light."

"B-but... I can't force anyone to feel like that. All my snowflakes do is let people see that they _can _have fun. It doesn't even make them _want _to have fun. But who doesn't want that?"

Pitch's face was carefully blank at that. His hands squeezed the staff painfully tightly as he looked into his eyes, as if searching for a lie. Jack was confused. Had the Nightmare King been trying to make him doubt his place among the Guardians again? He felt like he was missing something here.

"Who doesn't, indeed?"

What happened next was not a surprise. Jack saw it coming and braced himself for the pain, but that did him little good when the staff snapped in two pieces, not nearly as fast as the first time. It felt like a part of him was being ripped apart. Everything turned to white and his mouth opened in a wordless scream.

Then, the cloud of black sand let him fall through. He had no strength to fight off the nightmares clawing at his mind as the sand briefly surrounded him, but their touch mercifully did not last. He fell for what felt like forever, before his back connected with the water of his lake in an impact that rattled his bones.

He did not have time to sink that the water underneath him froze, letting him float on the surface on his little ice platform. When he had time to catch his breath and order his thought somewhat, Jack was confused. What did Pitch hope to accomplish? They had been through this before.

He understood when he saw the black cloud float away, taking Pitch and the broken staff away from him. He would need the staff back, to repair it. Obviously Pitch did not plan on giving it to him.

And there was nothing Jack could do about it.

_To be continued_

* * *

**I decided to cut this one, since it could pretty long otherwise and I'm not sure I'll write all of it today, since my attention is requires elsewhere. It's likely going to be three parts. I'll see how it goes. I kept getting distracted while editing this, so some of my normal awful spelling and grammar might have survived. Please tell me if you spot anything wrong.**

**It was almost hilariously hard to write the part with Pitch and Jack's staff without it sounding too much like something else. I swear I could write an entire smut fic out of the stuff I kept coming up with.**

**Also, as of writing this, I still haven't found a title for this one. Everything I can think of sounds like it could be the title of a bad movie sequel. Let's just go all out and call this ****_Revenge Of The Boogeyman._**


	22. Fallen

**This is a continuation of ****_You Will Fear Me._**** There's going to be some POV switching in this one, but the linebreaks should make it easy to keep track of (unless I forget to put them back after eats them).**

* * *

The cloud of black sand was still visible on the horizon when he heard someone call his name. Propping himself up on one elbow he looked to the side of the lake, spotting a familiar figure there.

"Oh, hey Cupcake."

He waved at her, trying to look like he was just casually resting on the ice. She did not look fooled. She frowned and lifted her long skirt up to her knees with one hand and took a few steps into the water.

"You're going to catch a cold."

"That doesn't usually worry you."

He smiled sheepishly as he sat up. He just needed to stand and walk off the water. He could do that. Even without the staff, he could still freeze the water under his feet. All he needed to do was stand. It shouldn't be so hard.

"Everything's fine, you know. I'm just taking a break."

Cupcake let go of the skirt as the water reached high enough that there would be no keeping it dry anyway. She just walked faster, until she could swim. Jack did not doubt that it was cold. But Cupcake showed no signs of it as she swam to his little floating platform of ice, grabbed the edge and started to swim backward back to the edge of the lake.

"I saw you fall."

There was little he could answer to that. She was not going to believe he was fine if she saw him just drop out of the sky. He let her pull his ice platform back on dry land. At fourteen, Cupcake was already taller than him, and much bigger, too. She slipped an arm around his shoulder and the other under his knees and easily lifted him. Jack could see her wet clothes starting to freeze. He struggled weakly in her grip.

"You'll freeze. Where are we going? I can just rest here."

"I'm taking you home with me. I'm not going to just leave you here. You don't look well."

He could hardly see what difference it would make, but her tone of voice told him she wasn't going to back down on this. He sighed and stopped struggling. He did not have the energy to protest. He felt drained. And his arm hurt. Hopefully he could just sleep it off. He needed his staff back, tough. He was useless without it.

Jack wondered what Pitch could possibly be thinking. The Guardians would learn of this, sooner or later, and they would go after him. He might hide, but for how long? Jack would have his staff back, eventually, and everything would be fine. Jack may not be good for much more than frosting windows without his staff, but he did not need to count only on himself anymore.

Cupcake shifted him around a little as she reached for her keys and tried to unlock the door without putting him down. They had arrived, apparently. No one seemed to be home. She carried him up to her room and gently placed him on the pink covers of her bed. Unlike many girls, she had never grown out of her love of pink. She looked down at him in worry, as if wondering what to do next.

"I'm all safe now, so you can put on something dry. I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded slowly and picked up some clothes in her drawers, throwing him a last concerned look before leaving the room to go change somewhere else. Jack let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. Things would get better soon. They had to.

* * *

Cupcake locked herself in the bathroom and hurriedly removed her wet, frozen clothes. Her worry over the entire situation had kept her from noticing how cold she was, but her fingers shook as she pulled on dry clothes.

She couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen. Jack, just falling off the air for no reason she could discern. Something bad must have happened, but what? Had he been in a fight? Against whom? The one the Guardians had fought before? Who had that been?

She could still recall most of the details of that night quite clearly, but that one thing was fuzzy in her mind. The Boogeyman? That sounded absurd even to her. She could not remember anything specific about their enemy from that night. As if he had simply faded away from her memory, leaving only a vague, dreamlike impression in her mind. Jack always told her to not worry about it.

Sighing, she walked back to her room. Jack was sleeping and she did not want to wake him. He looked like he needed his rest. She grabbed a thick, warm vest from her wardrobe and pulled it on to fight the chill that remained even after her change of clothes. Jack was right; she would likely catch a cold. She did not care.

Something had been bothering her ever since she found Jack on the lake and she finally realized what it was. His staff was missing. She had never seen him without it. While he would sometime put it down, he never got very far away from it. She hoped it had not fallen into the water and had been left behind. But he would have said something, no?

Cupcake shook her head. She would ask him when he woke up. She wished she had a way to call the Guardians. They should know about this. Maybe she could try to catch one of the little fairies who picked up teeth, but she would be lucky if she could find one. She did not know of any kids who lost a tooth today and she could not spend the night checking every kids' window just in case.

But there was one person she could call. He might not be any help, but he would want to know. So, picking up the phone, she called Jamie.

* * *

"So you said you saw him fall? And the staff was not anywhere around?"

Jamie could see that Cupcake was getting a little exasperated at his questioning. They had been over this when she called, but he needed to be sure. The entire situation had him close to panic. Jack told him before that the staff was like a part of him and that he needed it to use most of his powers. You don't just leave a part of you out of your sight. And, if Jack had been flying in the first place, he must have had it then.

"I saw him fall. I didn't see anything else fall as well. He was just lying on the lake when I got to him. He didn't say anything about the staff."

Cupcake's mother had returned before he arrived and they needed to have their whispered conversation in Cupcake's room, even with Jack sleeping there. It was that or locking themselves in the bathroom and that would have been more than a little suspicious. Seeing Jack like this had been painful. He was even paler than usual and for a moment, Jamie had feared he was dead.

"What are you two whispering about?"

They both turned quickly toward Jack, looking a little guilty that they had been talking about him while he slept. But the guilt was soon replaced by relief. Jack may not be looking his best, but as long as he was awake, he at least looked alive. Jamie almost threw himself at him, hugging him tightly.

"H-hey! Did you miss me that much? I haven't been gone that long."

"What happened? I heard you fell. Where's your staff?"

"It's... err... I don't know. But I'll get it back. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it? Jack, we're your friends! We want to help you."

Jack thought about that for a while before smiling.

"There's one thing you can do to help me. Cupcake, do you have a pen and a sheet of paper?"

They exchanged confused looks, but Cupcake picked up what he asked for from the top of her desk. She handed him the items, but he shook his head.

"Not me. It won't work if I write it. One of you will have to do it."

"Write what?"

"A letter to Santa, of course."

_To be continued_

* * *

**This will likely end up being at least four parts, actually. This one was longer than I had expected.**


	23. We're Here To Help

**This is a continuation of ****_You Will Fear Me _****and ****_Fallen_**

* * *

As soon as he had received Jamie's letter, North had called the other Guardians. Jamie did not specify who was responsible for this, but he could take a guess. He had thought they had more time before Pitch tried anything. But at least, that meant he should be easy to handle when they found him.

"When the others come, tell them I went to Cupcake's house. They can join us there," he told a nearby Yeti.

North didn't have time to wait for them. He could not simply leave Jack alone with two human teenagers who could not even see the Boogeyman. Not without any way to defend himself. The disappearance of Jack's staff worried him. North could not say he understood too well its significance to the Spirit of Winter, but he knew Jack was much weaker without it.

The sleigh was ready to leave and North had just taken his place at the front when Bunnymund bounded into the room.

"What's happening, mate? Why did you call us? Where are you going?"

North just grabbed Bunny and pulled him in the sleigh. He didn't wait for him to be settled in before starting them on their way. The Easter Bunny stayed huddled on the back seat until they were out of the complex. Once the flying had gotten a bit smoother, Bunny dared speak again.

"North, what's going on? Where are the others?"

"The others will join us there. We have emergency."

He gave Jamie's letter to Bunny and took out a snow globe as he read. He gave it a good shake before whispering one word to it.

"Cupcake."

* * *

Jack sighed as the two teens tried to place some more ice cubes on his forehead. He felt quite ridiculous and he couldn't move without them slipping off. He would not deny they felt good on warming skin, though. He needed to get somewhere cold and soon. They had tried fanning him with a piece of paper, but all that did was blowing hot air onto his skin.

He was starting to wonder if Pitch was not simply trying to hide until Jack melted like snow in the heat. The only time his staff had ever been broken, it had been repaired soon and he had been in Antarctica at the time. It was becoming obvious that the general feeling of exhaustion was not the only thing he was going to suffer. He hoped North got the letter and would come soon.

The ice soon melted in the heat of the room and all Jack was left with was wet hair. He still felt too warm. With another sigh, he crawled under the blankets, trying to keep what little cold his body was still emitting trapped around him. He curled up in a ball in the center of the bed, surrounded by pink.

"What are you doing? I thought you said you were too warm?" Jamie asked, puzzled.

"I am."

"Then why are you bundling up in warm blankets?"

"The blankets aren't warm."

He was saved from further discussions about things he did not really understand himself when he heard a sound of bells outside. North had come. He peeked out of the blankets just as Bunny bounded into the room through the open window. Jack could not keep the relieved smile off his face.

"What happened to you, Snowflake?"

Bunny looked shaken to see him like this. Jack withdrew back under the covers. He didn't feel up to explaining right now.

"Can we go somewhere colder?"

"You came, you really came!" Jamie shouted as North noisily climbed through the window.

"North! Back to the Pole, before our Snowflake melts."

"Right away! If Tooth or Sandy comes here, tell them we went back."

* * *

Bunny barely noticed as they took off, the wild rocking motion of the sleigh not bothering him nearly as much as the small form huddled beneath North's large fur coat. It was not before the cold air of the North Pole hit them full in the face that Jack pushed the coat away with a relieved look. Even then, he just laid there with his eyes closed, letting the freezing temperature cool him. With his cheeks flushed pink from the heat, he looked... not like Jack Frost.

It was bothering Bunny more than he cared to admit. He realized that, unless they did something about it, Frostbite wasn't going to be able to go anywhere that wasn't freezing cold again. That meant no visiting him in his Warrens, which should make him happy, really, as the winter spirit only ever came when he wanted to bother him, but somehow it didn't.

"Bunny. I don't want to bring him inside through the workshop. It's too warm. I'm going to stop by his bedroom's window. Can you help him get in?"

Bunnymund nodded and picked Jack up from the ground, preparing to jump through the open window with the white-haired teen. He gulped as he stood near the side of the sleigh.

"Don't look down, don't look do—hey! What are you snickering at, Frosty?"

Jack shifted in his grip, wrapping his arms around Bunny's neck and batting his eyelashes at him.

"Nothing. You are just so heroic!"

Bunny didn't have time to reply as the sleigh briefly paused outside of Jack's window. He tightened his hold on the boy as he jumped in.

"Thank you, my hero—ow!"

The pooka gave a satisfied smile to the young Guardian, now on the ground where he had just been unceremoniously dropped. Jack glared at him for a moment before breaking into a grin. Bunny was relieved to see that grin, and that his skin had returned to its usual deathly pallor. He looked much better, if still tired. The Easter Bunny held out a hand to help the winter spirit up to his feet.

"How're you feeling, mate?"

Jack sat down on the windowsill and ran a hand through his hair. He let the mischievous facade drop, for the moment.

"Tired. Drained. Worried. And a little scared."

Bunnymund placed a furry hand on the boy's bony shoulder. The look Jack sent his way, as if looking for some reassurance that everything would be alright, broke his heart. The boy had never looked so frail before. So young.

"We're here to help you, Jack."

As he said this, the door slammed opened, North and Tooth hurrying inside. The fairy fluttered to Jack's side, placing a hand on his forehead. She winced when he shied away from the direct contact of her warm skin on his own. He gave her a small, apologetic smile.

"I was about to leave to join you at Cupcake's house when you returned. The Yeti told me that Sandy left already."

"He'll be back when she tells him we're not there." North said, shrugging. "Now, Jack, tell us what happened."

They listened with mounting anger as Jack told them about Pitch's attack, his accusations and how he had broken his staff.

"Last time he did that, he threw both halves back at me to taunt me. I was able to repair it."

"Last time?" Bunny asked testily. "What last time?"

"Oh... I never told you guys about that? Well... remind me to, when this is over."

"I will, Snowflake. But now, we need to find Pitch."

"Let's go, then!" North shouted, raising a sword above his head. "To Pitch's lair!"

"Wait, what about Sandy?" Tooth asked him.

"Jack, you stay here. If Sandy comes back, tell him we left."

As much as Bunny thought that waiting for Sandy would be smarter, he wanted to put his fist in the Boogeyman's face right now. He ruffled the worried looking young Guardian's hair before following North out.

* * *

**Next chapter should be the last part of this story. I'll be glad to finish it and go back to writing shorter stories.**

**I did a little experiment while writing this. I made two snowballs and left one exposed to the air while wrapping the other in a towel. Right now, my exposed snowball is fully melted while the other one still looks fine. I just wanted to make sure that something cold would actually stayed cold longer when wrapped up in something. I don't know why it wouldn't, but I figured I could do my research for once.**

**Also, I know for having tried it as a homemade air conditioning system, ice in front of a fan melt much faster (but it does send cool air through the room).**


	24. No More Fear

**Final part of the ****_You Will Fear Me _****arc.**

* * *

Jack hated having to wait here while the others went to confront Pitch. He felt useless. The yetis had brought him a glass of cold milk and a platter of cookies, but they just sat there, untouched. He had no appetite. His stomach felt constricted with worry and more than a little fear. Pitch must be happy.

He pulled up his hood and brought his legs against his chest, resting his head on his knees. He couldn't keep the fear from gnawing inside of him and he hated Pitch for it. What if they never found him? Jack doubted he would simply be waiting for them in his lair. Or what if he was and it was a trap? The thought of the others getting hurt because of him was a lot scarier than the possibility of staying like this forever.

If he closed his eyes, Jack could dimly feel the broken staff. It was like an ache he was only barely aware of and could do nothing to relieve. He caught himself once raising an arm as if trying to grab it, only to have his fingers close on empty air.

Jack wondered why his power was so tied to this staff. Why did he have to depend like that on a flimsy piece of wood? For the first time, he hated the shepherd's crook that had stayed with him all this time. It made him weak. Would things be different, if he had more believers? Would he be as powerful as the other Guardians, even without the staff? Maybe. He looked up to the moon, as if waiting for answers. None came. With a sigh, Jack looked away.

He almost fell right out the window when he looked back inside and saw Sandy standing there, looking up at him worriedly. The little man could be more silent than anyone he knew. Jack had no idea how long he had been there. He smiled down at him.

"Sandy! You made it!"

Sandy made a succession of arrow shapes in the sand above his head, all pointing in different directions, followed by sand blowing out of his ears like steam. Jack chuckled a little.

"Sorry to break it to you, but they're gone again."

Sandy crossed his arms over his chest and jumped on the window's ledge, sitting in front of him. He obviously had no intentions of running after them again. He sent him an interrogative look, accompanied by a question mark above his head.

"They went to Pitch's lair, but I doubt he's there. He must have gone to hide somewhere. It could take forever to find him."

A few more question marks appear above Sandy's head and Jack had to tell his story once more. Sandy looked deep in thoughts for a moment before getting up and taking Jack's arm, tugging him off the ledge. He followed until he realized the Sandman was taking him to the bed.

"I don't want to sleep, Sandy. Not right now."

A new shape appeared in the sand, this time this time Jack's silhouette staring up at the moon.

"I know worrying isn't doing any good, but—"

He did not have time to finish his sentence as the little man blew some dreamsand into his eyes, sending him to the happy land of dreams and away from reality.

* * *

"—could not find him anywhere."

Jack slowly blinked the sand out of his eyes as the voices woke him up. The other Guardians stood together in a corner of the room, whispering to avoid waking him. Not all of them were equally good at being quiet.

"So Pitch wasn't in his lair, eh?"

They all spun around at the sound of his voice, looking guilty of having awakened him. Jack slid out of the bed and walked up to them, missing being able to casually throw his staff over his shoulder. It did wonders to make him look like he didn't care.

North sighed and looked down. The Guardians looked so... defeated right now.

"We looked everywhere we thought he was likely to hide, but he could be anywhere. Pitch is good at hiding in shadows. It would take forever to search them all."

Jack sighed and nodded. He wasn't surprised.

"It's alright. It doesn't matter."

He could still feel it, just out of reach. It could be a world away and he would always feel it, even in its broken state. He turned around to return to his bed, to sleep until the thought of staying cooped up here until winter returned started to feel a little less depressing. He stopped dead in his track the moment he turned, standing straight once more. The sensation he was getting from the missing staff... shifted.

"Jack? What is it?" Tooth asked him, looking torn between concern and hope.

He did not answer right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and slowly turned, trying to pinpoint the exact direction it came from. His eyes shot wide open when he found it, a wide grin appearing on his face.

"He's this way!"

* * *

Jack sat at the back of North's sleigh once more, bundled up in a few blankets. North had insisted he put on the silly looking elf shoes and he had not protested. Bunny hadn't even made fun of him. That was a clear sign of how worried the pooka was. North had finally shoved a knitted hat on his head and declared him ready to go. He knew that, with his white hair hidden away and his skin flushed from the heat, he looked more like a normal teenager than a dead and frozen one. He wondered what the others thought of that.

As they flew over Europe, Jack continued to keep them going the right way. He could feel it getting closer. A victorious grin remained on his face until Europe was behind them and they were now crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Jack sighed. Of course, Pitch wasn't going to make things easy.

North finally had to stop the sleigh on the edge of the Sahara desert. By then, Jack had withdrawn inside of his blankets, only making the occasional sound to let them know they were still going the right way. He whimpered when the sleigh stopped.

"It's so close... I can feel it."

"You are going back to Pole, Jack. We will search desert."

"I don't know, mate. It's an awfully big desert."

Jack lifted the blanket a little to protest being returned to his room at the North Pole. He would see this through, even if it was from beneath his blanket pile. As he looked at the others, he saw Sandy make the shape of a moon and some stars above his head. He smiled.

"Sandy is right; we can come back at night, when it's not so warm."

"But night is when Pitch is at his strongest," Tooth reminded them.

Sandy punched his fist into his hand. Bunny nodded his agreement.

"We can still take on him. Pitch isn't going to put up much of a fight."

"That is decided, then! We go back to Pole and come back tonight to deal with Pitch."

* * *

Jack had to watch the fight from inside the sleigh. They had left him a good distance away, where he wouldn't get hurt. It grated, but it would soon be over. He could not see much of what was going on, but it was obvious even from here that Pitch never stood a chance. He spent more time trying to defend himself than attacking. Jack allowed a smile to spread over his features. Soon.

The smile disappeared as Pitch did. He could see the other Guardians looking frantically around, expecting him to jump out of a shadow any moment. He frowned. If Pitch ran away, they would need to find him again. Jack knew he hadn't gone far, he could still feel the broken staff somewhere close. It was impossible to pinpoint the exact location, though, as the Nightmare King moved in the shadows.

"You can't hide forever, Pitch," he shouted. "Sooner or later, we'll find you."

"I'll save you the trouble."

Jack gasped and tried to roll away, but the blankets hampered his movements. Pitch easily grabbed him by the back of his hoodie and lifted him up. He felt a wave of heat hit him as the blankets fell away. He weakly tried to kick the Boogeyman and claw at the arm holding him. The sound of little bells from his shoes brought a mocking smirk to Pitch's lips.

"It's so nice of you to visit, Jack. You're looking... rather adorable, right now. Feeling well?"

"Let him go, you—" Bunny started to say.

"Not one step closer, if you care for your dear little friend here at all."

They froze as Pitch dragged him against his chest, holding a blade of black sand to his throat. In his current state, he didn't doubt it could really hurt him. The others looked unsure of what to do next. Jack wanted to beat Pitch into a bloody pulp, but he felt weak as a kitten. All he could do was glare up at him.

"Don't look at me like that, Jack. You can't say you didn't deserve this. What did I ever do to you, before you chose to join force with them to defeat me?"

"What do you want, Pitch." North asked with barely concealed anger.

"I've had my little fun, but it looks like it's over. Fine. I just want you to agree to leave me alone, and you can have him back."

"Why should we trust you?" Bunny asked warily.

"Why shouldn't you? If I don't hold my part of the bargain, you have no reason to hold yours."

They looked at each others. Sandy made the shape of Jack's staff in sand above his head.

"Of course, of course. You're not going to leave me alone without that piece of kindling, are you?"

Jack did not know what he had expected, but he was surprised when Pitch simply threw both halves of his broken staff at the other Guardians. They stared in shock for a moment before Tooth quickly flew to pick them up. After hesitating a little more, North nodded at Pitch.

"As long as you don't cause more trouble, we'll leave you alone."

Jack almost expected Pitch to drag him in the shadow or something, but the Boogeyman really did release him. Jack stumbled a step and almost fell before turning to face him.

"Just like that?"

Pitch smirked.

"I got what I wanted, didn't I?"

Jack stayed silent at that. He could not pretend that he had not been afraid. Not of Pitch, specifically, but the Boogeyman would satisfy himself with knowing he had caused him fear. They would just have to call this one a draw.

As soon as he melted back in the shadows, Tooth flew to him and hugged him tightly, still holding the pieces of his broken staff.

"Jack, are you alright?"

"Tooth. Too warm."

She withdrew quickly and he just fell on his knees in the sleigh. They had the staff back, finally, but he knew he wasn't going to repair it here. He tiredly looked at North.

"Back to the Pole!" the man bellowed, taking out a snowglobe.

T.T.T.T

Jack observed the others as the impromptu celebration started to die down, a soft smile on his face. His trusted staff was back to its familiar position on his shoulder. Jack had not let it go for a moment since he had repaired it. No one had questioned it.

In a way, he was almost grateful for what Pitch had done. For even more than fear, what he had felt during the past day was the love and care of his fellow Guardians. His new family. And for that, Jack should thank the Boogeyman when he next saw him.

He doubted Pitch would be pleased.

* * *

**This story is finally done, so now I get to go back to writing drabbles. Yay!**

**I think I almost wrote as much of this in the past two weeks as I had for NaNoWriMo in the same amount of time. Even though my NaNo novel wasn't edited at all and was full of useless taglines and smut (you could be surprise how much you can pad a story with smut. It's easy to write fast.). And I also said I would take a month long hiatus from writing, which would end tomorrow, I think. So, as you can see, I'm bad at being on a hiatus (this still beats my week-long hiatus on deviantArt that had been supposed to last all winter). **


	25. Fairy Tales

It came as no surprise to North that the Guardian of Fun would be of use in helping him determine which gifts would make the children most happy. Whenever he was in doubt about a toy, he would hand it to Jack and ask for his opinion.

The Spirit of Winter was not really a child himself anymore, had not been even before he died and was reborn, but he certainly had a ability to look at things with a child-like wonder even after centuries of loneliness had left him more jaded than he liked people to know.

Jack did not actually try to play with the toys, most of the time, but he would turn them around in his hands and examine them under every angle, pressing any colorful button he could see and moving whatever could be moved while his eyes grew distant and a smile appeared on his face as he pictured what fun a child could have with this. It was when he saw that smile, the pure, sincere smile that so rarely graced his face, that North knew the creation was a success.

But there was one type of gift that often found their way under Christmas tree that Jack could really appreciate for what it was. And it wasn't the type that could cause a big mess, though he could certainly have fun with those. Just not in the way the nice kids he made the present for would.

The yeti would not soon forget the chaos the teen had caused with an overly bouncy ball. North secretly thought it was worth it, to see Jack laugh so hard it brought tears to his eyes. He still made sure to scold him. Jack gave him his most adorably innocent smile as he promised to be more careful.

But it wasn't the most potentially destructive toys that made the young Guardian's eyes light with genuine interest. No, much to North's surprise, he had discovered the teenager had a fascination with children's book. The ones with fairies, dragons, princesses, knights, unicorns and happy endings.

It was to bring him one such book that North was currently looking for the other Guardian. The Guardian of Wonder had given him a small stack of them to read already, when he had arrived to the workshop the previous day, and he knew he must have found himself a quiet spot. Jack never read them in his room, to avoid damaging the fragile pages with the snow blowing in through the window.

He eventually found him lying on his stomach under a large unused table in a remote corner of the workshop. The sound of the bells on his shoes jingling rhythmically as his feet lazily swayed while he read helped him quite a bit. If Bunny could see him right now...

North sat down on the ground next to the table to be able to talk to him. The bells stopped jingling as Jack noticed him. The big Russian man placed the book down on top of the others.

"Are they good?"

Jack only nodded. North knew the teen was more than a little embarrassed about this hobby of his. But he couldn't blame him, really, if sometime he wanted to loose himself in a world where everything was simpler, every problem was solved with the power of love and friendship, every hero lived happily ever after and no child was ever left to live their life alone and ignored for centuries.

* * *

**This was so short yet it took forever. I got distracted midway with... running back and forth in the hallway for no reason. I've been spending too much time sitting in front of my computer lately, I have too much energy. I need to calm down before I run into a wall again.**


	26. Colder Than Death

Bunnymund sighed when he arrived at the small village where the new winter spirit made his home. It was snowing. Not much, barely enough to cover the ground, but it annoyed the pooka anyway. Not that snow never naturally occurred on Easter, but knowing that this snow was likely caused by the young spirit who should know better made it worse. Bunny wondered if he did it to annoy him. He remembered the storm he had caused the previous Christmas.

He decided, once he was done hiding his eggs around the village, to just go ask the kid what his problem was. If the spirit was purposefully messing with the Guardians, it was time he got a good talking to and Bunny could spare the time to do that even on this busy Easter night.

Hopping to the lake where the spirit could usually be found, he mentally repeated the words he planned to say when he did find him. He would give him a good shake, too. He surveyed the area, initially unable to spot his target. Maybe he left, scared of his anger. Or maybe he was hiding in the bushes, laughing at him. Bunny's eyes narrowed, taking a looked closer.

There was more snow around the small lake than elsewhere around the village. He eventually spotted a dark hide cloak partially covered by the freshly fallen snowflakes. Bunny carefully made his way there, wondering if the boy was trying to hide. What he saw froze him in place and turned his determined anger to panic.

The boy was simply lying on his side in the snow, unmoving and deathly pale. He was partially hidden under the snow that had fallen over him. He must have been there for at least a few hours. His frosted shepherd's crook was barely visible, the spirit's hand loosely draped over it. He looked like the frozen corpse of a child.

_Get a hold of yourself, Bunny. He looked pale and cold when you saw him last time, too. He's a winter spirit; of course he's pale as snow and cold as ice._

He took a few slow, calming breaths. Try as he might, he could not recall if the spirit had really looked _that_ much like a kid who died from the cold. It was eerie, seeing him just lie there without moving. He wondered if he was hurt. He couldn't tell, not without brushing off the layer of snow covering him and taking a closer look.

Still trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, Bunny kneeled next to the winter child hand placed a hand on his shoulder to turn him on his back. He almost immediately withdrew it. The spirit was colder than death.

Little mounds of snow fell of as Bunny carefully turned the boy. He was surprised to see the frost disappear from the staff when the pale hand slipped off of it. He was still pondering that when the boy's eyes shot open and he sat up abruptly.

"W-what?"

Bunny jumped back two steps in shock. The boy fumbled to pick up his staff before jumping to his feet as well. For a long moment, both just stared at each other, surprise giving way to confusion. The winter spirit looked perfectly fine, now that he was actually moving. Bunny glared at him.

"What did you think you were doing?"

The spirit raised a dark eyebrow at that.

"You're the one who just woke me up. What did _you_ think you were doing?"

He had just woken him up. The boy had been sleeping. Just there, lying on the ground in the snow like that was perfectly normal. Bunny tapped the ground with his foot, creating a tunnel. He should just leave before he embarrassed himself further. He had eggs to hide, anyway. No time to spend with annoying winter spirits who did not even have the decency to not look like frozen corpses when they slept. He pointed a menacing finger at him.

"Stop making it snow on Easter."

Bunny had just enough time to see the amused grin on the boy's pale lips before he disappeared in the tunnel.

* * *

**I had been planning on writing a few stories tonight, but some technical problems caused me a lot of troubles and I ended up with not enough time. At least I wrote this one. There's still tomorrow. **

**Since a few people asked me about possible stories related to the ****_You Will Fear Me _****arc, I'm going to answer this here for anyone else who might be wondering.**

** I'm definitively going to go over the Antarctica incident that Jack mentioned to the others in that arc. It should be one of the next few stories I write. I just don't want to rush it so it doesn't end up being just Jack summarizing part of the movie, with the other four kind-of reacting. About Jack actually thanking Pitch, I have half an idea, but it might take a while before it's good enough to be written. I have nothing else planned at the moment that is directly related to that arc (that I can remember. I forget my ideas all the time)**

**(also, you can find the title of this chapter and the title of this drabble collection in the same small paragraph in this story)**


	27. Cold And Dark

**This story now has exactly 100 reviews. I'm so happy. And I feel terrible that I haven't answered most of those. Sorry. I want to say a big 'I love you' to all of you.**

* * *

Everything around him was cold and dark.

Jack did not know if it was day or night. There was little difference anymore. Dark cloud blocked the sun all day and the moon all night. He was grateful for it. He did not want to look up at the Man in the Moon, to see him watching. Judging.

Without the sun, the land was dying. The crops withered and the people were hungry. And cold. This winter had been lasting for years and Jack knew spring would not come. There would be no hope, no new beginnings. No one remained to bring these things to the world.

A skinny girl shivered on the corner of a street, hugging an old doll to her chest. She looked up when he got closer, her eyes widening in fear.

_This is what you wanted. To be seen. To be acknowledged. This is what you chose._

The girl dropped her doll and ran. He watched her go. She could see him, but she still would not talk to him. No one did. Or almost no one. A hand rested on his shoulder, long, narrow fingers curling around it like claws. A smooth voice repeated words he had heard a hundred times by now.

"Doesn't it feel great, Jack? They see you. They believe in you."

_They fear me._ He stared in the distance, at the place the little girl had run to when she saw him.

_This is what you wanted._

T.T.T.T

Jack woke up with a start. Everything around him was cold and dark.

He took a few calming breath. This cold, this dark, were not threatening. The winter was ending. Spring would come soon. In the sky above, the Moon shone, so big and so bright. Its light reflected on the pristine snow, keeping the darkness at bay.

Jack rose from the spot where he had been sleeping in the snow, slowly dusting himself up as he calmed his beating heart. The nightmare, showing him what could have been, had been haunting him in the month since Pitch's defeat. Because he could not forget that, for a moment, the Nightmare King's words had tempted him.

He had not told the others what happened that day, in Antarctica, after he ruined Easter and they turned away from him. For the first time in his new life, he had a family and he did not want to lose them if they learned of what he could have done.

_But it isn't what you chose. It isn't what you wanted._

He let out a shaky breath, running his hand through his hair. He would tell them, one day. When he was not so afraid of losing them.

**I wrote this little story in preparation of the next chapter (or at least it should be the next chapter). **


	28. Once Upon A Time, In Antarctica

Bunny shifted on whatever plushy surface he had fallen asleep on, slowly waking up. He shivered as his foot brushed against something cold. He reflexively kicked it away from him, burying his face in the overstuffed armrest of the couch he had curled up on. The cold thing went over the other armrest with a loud thud and a pained cry of protest.

Fully awake, he looked over in the direction of the noise, seeing a pale hand appear to grip the armrest, followed by a head of snowy white hair. Jack's frosty blue eyes glared at him while he pointed his newly repaired staff his way, the air surrounding the shepherd's crook crystallizing from the sudden drop of temperature.

"What was that for?"

"You were freezing my feet, Frostbite."

Signs of the previous day's celebrations littered the room, such as platters full of cookie crumbs and empty mugs of eggnog. The others were stirring as well, woken up by the noise. Tooth lifted her head from Sandy's lap to look at them in sleepy confusion. She smiled when she saw Jack getting up to his feet.

"How are you feeling, Jack?"

He stopped glaring at Bunny to give her a warm smile, the staff rising to rest on his shoulder instead.

"Much better, thank to you guys."

"Wonderful!" North shouted, jumping to his feet. "Pitch is defeated again, staff is repaired... again."

They exchanged glances. Jack had mentioned Pitch breaking his staff before, but they really knew nothing about what had happened or when. Jack shifted a little uneasily. He knew what was coming. Bunny cleared his throat.

"So... you had a story to tell us."

"Oh yeah. That."

North sat back down and they all looked at Jack, eagerly awaiting the story. This just made the boy shift in place even more, fiddling with his staff.

"Sit down, mate."

Jack nodded and sighed, taking back his place on the couch next to Bunny. He took a deep breath before starting his tale.

"So, er, I was in Antarctica and Pitch came to see me and he asked me to join him and I sad no and he broke my staff and left. Then I repaired it and left, too."

They all stared, waiting for him to say more, until it became obvious that this was it. He wasn't actually planning on elaborating. Jack stood again and stretched, taking a step in the direction of the room's exit.

"I'm sure we all have a lot of things to do, so—"

Bunny grabbed his arm and pulled him back on the couch. The other had all risen from their own places, obviously ready to protest Jack's hasty departure.

"Jack," North said gently, "I don't want to force you to speak to us, but you're worrying me."

"When did this happen?" Tooth asked. "I wasn't under the impression that you and Pitch had been... enemies before."

Tooth had a point. When they first asked for Jack's help in fighting Pitch, the winter spirit had seemed somewhat amused and mostly indifferent. That was not the expected reaction to getting the opportunity to fight the one who had broken your most precious possession. Bunny doubted that Jack simply didn't care. But surely it couldn't have happened after?

Jack sighed again and nodded. He settled more comfortably onto the couch, apparently ready to actually tell his story.

"You're right. I never had any problems with Pitch before. At the beginning he was even trying to be nice to me. That was kind of creepy."

Pitch being nice did sound like the creepiest thing Bunny had heard. But it shouldn't be surprising, really, that Pitch had been interested in the new winter spirit. They had all judged him too fast, simply based on what he was. He regretted that bitterly.

"So, when was it, mate? Don't tell me Pitch attacked you twice since we beat him and you didn't tell us!"

Bunny prayed that wasn't the case, but he knew that Jack hadn't quite warmed up to them right away. They had ignored him for to long for him to simply thrust them with everything.

"No. I was just as surprised as you to see that he crawled his way out of his lair. No, it was... on Easter."

Bunny exchanged startled glances with the others. Sandy just looked confused. He had a general idea of what happened that day, but he didn't know the details.

"You went to Antarctica after you left us?" North asked, a little confused.

They had all assume he just made his way back to Burgess, to his frozen lake. They had seen him next around there, after all. Burgess was not anywhere close to Antarctica. Jack brought his knee against his chest and clenched his staff tightly.

"I... wanted to be alone. I wanted to throw those damned teeth away where no one would ever find them."

_"He has to go." _Bunny could not meet Sandy's inquisitive glance. How was he supposed to tell the little man that they had driven their new ally away after accusing him of betraying them? _"We should never have trusted him!"_ He remembered the boy's wide-eyed gaze as Bunny said those words. He awkwardly put a hand on the white-haired teen's shoulder.

"I'm... sorry, you know. For blaming you."

"You were right. I shouldn't have let Pitch distract me. I should have been with you, to fight off the nightmares."

Tooth rose from the couch she was sharing with the still confused Sandy, slowly flying toward them.

"Jack, no! This isn't your fault. We all did exactly what Pitch expected. All of us, we just played right into his hand."

Bunny remembered what Jack had said earlier, in his brief version of his story, about Pitch asking him to join him. Just as they had rejected him. He tightened his grip on Jack's shoulder. They really had just played right into Pitch's hand.

"He told me you never believed in me. That he just wanted to show me that. He said he understood." Jack paused to take a shaky breath. "I didn't want to believe him. I got angry. I attacked him. But he wouldn't fight back. He just kept talking. He said he knew what it was like to be alone. To... long for a family."

There was a moment of silence as Jack stopped talking and no one knew what to say. North looked like he wanted nothing more than to grab the teenager and hug him tightly until he everything was better. But there was only so much a hug could do. Sandy stared guiltily at his feet. Tooth flew the rest of the way to him, placing her small hands on his knees, which he was still hugging to his chest. She was the first to break the silence.

"Jack, I'm so sorry. We should have done something a long time ago..."

"I thought about accepting, you know," he continued tonelessly. "He said he believed in me and that children would, too. I knew he meant that the children would fear me, like they had feared him for a long time, but I still considered it."

It was North who broke the silence this time.

"You made right choice, Jack. That's what matters."

Jack raised his head hesitantly and looked at North, then at Tooth, still hovering in front of him, at Sandy, nodding fervently, and finally at him. Bunny gave his shoulder a good squeeze and smile reassuringly.

"It's what you do that matters, Snowflake. Not what you think about doing."

The winter spirit gave him a small, but truly happy smile. Bunny felt him relax under his hand as he lowered his feet back to the ground. Tooth smiled warmly and North gave a wide grin. Sandy silently clapped his hands together.

"So, what happened next?" Tooth asked, eager to hear the end of that story.

"I told him to leave me alone. He agreed but... then he held Baby Tooth in his fist and asked for the staff."

Tooth gasped. Bunny cursed. North growled. Sandy frowned. Surprisingly, Jack smiled.

"You should have seen her, Tooth. She was so brave! She didn't want me to give him the staff."

"But you did anyway."

Jack nodded at her. Bunny couldn't possibly imagine Jack letting someone get hurt for him like that.

"Pitch wouldn't let her go even after I gave it to him, but she stabbed him with her beak! He tossed her against a cliff; I was so afraid she was hurt but he broke the staff before I could do anything and he struck me with his sand and threw me after her. I found her again at the bottom."

Jack stopped talking and sighed, his good humor fading but not entirely leaving.

"I didn't know what to do anymore. I had nowhere to go, even if I could get out of the crevasse we had fallen in. I might have just stayed there and done nothing, had Baby Tooth not reminded me of the teeth and of my memories. With nothing else to do, I finally took a look at who I used to be."

Bunny pictured, for a moment, Jack lying at the bottom of a frozen crevasse, abandoned by everyone but a little fairy, his staff broken. This story better start being happy soon, he was tired of feeling like his heart was being squeezed by a cold, merciless hand. But he supposed he deserved it.

"You told me about this before," North said, smiling. "You said you saw your family and how you saved your little sister."

Bunny remembered North retelling them this story. It had also involved Jack dying, but the winter spirit smiled brightly and nodded.

"Yes. That's how I understood why I came back as Jack Frost. Why the Man in the Moon chose me to be a Guardian. So I picked up my staff and I willed it to repair itself."

They all stared at that one. That sounded a little too easy.

"Just like that?" Bunny asked with more than a little disbelief.

"Well, it didn't work the first time, so I willed it harder."

Jack had his familiar lopsided grin back on his face, now. It was good to see. They couldn't help but grin back.

"After that, I returned to Pitch's lair, to try to free the fairies. But they couldn't fly. That's when I saw the lights. Only one remained."

This time, Bunny pulled the young Guardian to him in a sideway hug and ruffled his hair.

"And you went and made the kid believe in me again."

"Right. That's the end of the story."

Sandy clapped silently again and they laughed, not really knowing how else to react. It was a lot to take in. But Jack looked relieved to have told them everything and Bunny was grateful of that. He hadn't tried to pull away from Bunny and the pooka didn't let go. North stood up and, with a great cry, threw his large arms around both of them, lifting them off the couch, ignoring Bunny's protests. With a laugh, Tooth tried her best to hug the three of them. He had to snicker when Sandy floated to them happily with his arms spread, then frowned, looking at his small arms. He threw himself on the group anyway, hugging what he could.

They all kept laughing, as if afraid that if they stopped to actually think, they might start to cry instead.

* * *

**That turned out pretty long, for something that's just Jack retelling one scene of the movie. It's the most dialogue I've ever written in one story.**

**Now, excuse me while I go write something light and silly to cheer myself up.**


	29. Halloween Night

Jack smiled as he walked down a street in Burgess on Halloween night. Cheerful kids in colorful costumes ran from door to door, collecting candies. He loved this holiday. The enthusiasm, the fun, the laughter. This was a night to dress as scary monster and try to frighten others for the amusement of everyone involved. Tonight, children laughed in the face of fear.

Jack had often walked through the streets of various towns on Halloween, but there was something special, this time. A year and a half after Pitch's defeat, enough children here in Burgess could see him that Jack had seen fit to wear a costume of his own.

A child dressed as superman spotted him and stopped, staring with a bemused smile. Jack walked to the kid, taking a chocolate egg from his basket as the little superman's eyes shifted from the just above his head to his basket and finally to the top of his staff. The winter spirit dropped the egg into the bag already partially filled with candy and ruffled his hair.

"Happy Easter."

The kid's startled laugh made his smile widen as he continued on his way, looking for more children to distribute his eggs to. The colorfully warped chocolate eggs were hard to find, this time of the year, but he knew the best person to ask for any Easter related supplies. Bunny had been suspicious, but had liked the idea of giving out Easter chocolates on Halloween.

While the children went around collecting candies, he collected smiles and giggles. No freezing weather accompanied him this time. The kids would not appreciate having to dress more warmly, hiding their beautiful costumes from sight to avoid Jack Frost nipping at their nose.

"Easter Bunny hop, hop, hop!"

He grinned widely at the familiar words and turned to see a little blond fairy in a green dress come running up to him. He kneeled on the sidewalk and leaned his staff on his shoulder as he opened his arms wide, waiting for Sophie to throw her arms around his neck. She hugged him close for a few seconds before grabbing the bunny ears from his head and putting them on hers. He chuckled when they slipped off and she had to hold them in place.

"Are you here all alone, Tinker Bell?"

"No. Jaime's here. You need to see, Jack!"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him away, bunny ears forgotten. He grabbed the fluffy white things as they fell off and placed them back on his head. She led him to where a blushing Jamie was standing, staring at his feet. Jack stifled a laugh as he took in the kid's brown pants, white wig and blue hoodie decorated with little snowflakes. He was holding a staff made out of a broomstick and some cardboard.

"Nice costume, Jamie."

"H-hi, Jack. I wasn't expecting you to be here. It's early."

Jack wondered if Jamie might have chosen a different costume, had he known he would be there.

"What, and miss my first chance to distribute candies on Halloween?"

Jamie raised his head and actually looked at him, at the fluffy bunny ears on his head, the basket full of chocolate eggs and the black cheerleader's pom-pon tied to his staff with yellow and purple ribbons and artfully frozen around the crooked end in the shape of a paintbrush. The kid burst out laughing.

"Are you supposed to be the Easter Bunny? You don't look anything like him."

"That's half the fun."

Jack doubted Bunny would appreciate his sloppy costume. That just made him smile. He picked two eggs from his basket and dropped them into their bags with a wink.

"Happy Easter."

He left Tinker Bell and Jack Frost to continue on their way to meet up with Jamie's friend. As he wandered through the town, he could recall that, not long ago, he had been fighting nightmares in these same streets. But tonight the scary monsters roaming the streets laughed as they collected candies from smiling adults and accepted his colorfully warped eggs with wide grins.

Pitch would hate Halloween night. And that, too, made Jack smile.


	30. Be Careful With That

**This chapter is dedicated to kyuubecky, who left the 100****th**** review for this story. I was able to figure out how to do your request earlier than I thought, since a few people wanted something that gave me a good opportunity for this...**

**So here is a sequel to ****_Halloween Night._**

* * *

Jack closed his eyes as he let the chocolate melt on his tongue. It was delicious. Bunny certainly knew what good chocolate was. Few of the eggs had remained, but he happily ate those that did.

It was long past midnight and the children were sleeping peacefully in their beds, lost in the dreams Sandy had sent them. Jack sat on a rooftop, observing the quiet town as he enjoyed the Easter treats. He threw the colorful wrappings back in the borrowed basket. He would need to return it to Bunny.

Caution would dictate that he takes off his long, fluffy ears and remove the pom-pom from his staff first, but caution was no fun. With a wide grin, Jack stood up.

"Wind! Let's see what Bunny thinks of my costume."

* * *

He spotted Bunny sitting in a grassy meadow dotted with flowers in his Warrens. He painted with watercolors on a large piece of white paper, trying to find new designs for the next batch of Easter eggs. Jack smiled when he saw the boomerang-wielding Guardian so engrossed in painting pretty pastel patterns. He was quite sure Bunny felt the cold draft as he landed behind him, but he didn't turn around right away.

"I think you should add more pink."

"And since when are you an artist, Frost...bite."

Bunny trailed off and gaped when he turned. Jack smiled sweetly, pretending not to notice.

"Of course I'm an artist. Frost is my medium and the world is my canvas."

He swept the tip of his staff, still disguised as a brush, over the tall blades of grass as if painting them, smiling when delicately intricate patterns of frost spread across their surface at the touch. Bunny stared at him some more, then at the staff, the frozen ground and back at him.

"Don't change the subject!"

He gave the pooka a bemused smile, thought he knew is eyes betrayed his amusement.

"I wasn't. I just answered your question."

"That's not the point! What is... what is this?"

"Oh, you mean my Halloween costume?"

"Your Halloween costume? Frostbite, when I agreed to give you treats to distribute to children, it wasn't so you could mock me!"

Bunny stood and ripped the basket from his hands. It was a struggle to avoid laughing. He pulled his featured into a perfect picture of confused innocence, broken only by the mischievous sparkle in is blue eyes.

"Mock you? Why would you think I'm mocking you?"

Bunny ignored him, grabbing Jack's fluffy white ears instead. He stared at them for a long moment, looking horrified, before throwing them in the basket. That was more than Jack could handle. He burst into peals of laughter, floating a little over the frosted grass to avoid collapsing.

The laughter stopped abruptly a moment later when he did collapse as the irritated pooka grabbed the staff from where it rested in the crook of his arm to tear off the yellow and purple ribbons holding the pom-pom in place. Jack's heart skipped a beat. It was not the rough landing as the wind suddenly stopped carrying him that bothered him. It was seeing, feeling, his precious staff in someone else's hand.

The frost covering it disappeared instantly, freeing the black pom-pom from the shape it had been held in, leaving it secured at the base of the crook with only the ribbons. Bunny looked satisfied at that. Jack forced a few deep, slow breath trough his nose. He could still remember like it was yesterday how it had felt, that day in Antarctica, when Pitch had snapped the staff in two. But this was Bunny, not Pitch. He would not willingly hurt him.

The pooka looked back at him in puzzlement and slight worry, likely wondering at his sudden silence. Bunny's eyes widened when their eyes met. Jack knew he must still look more than a little panicked. He needed to calm down. The other Guardian's eyes went repeatedly from him to the frostless staff he was now gingerly holding in his furry hands, as if it was now dawning on him that he may have gone a bit far. Jack forced a small smile on his lips.

"Be careful with that."

Bunny nodded slowly and, with almost ridiculous care, slipped the ribbons off the staff, letting the pom-pom fall into the basket with the bunny ears. The way he handled the slim piece of wood like it was made of blown glass brought a smile to Jack's lips. As vulnerable as he felt, he knew the staff was in good hand. He rose back to his feet just as Bunny held it up toward him, letting it rest lightly on his finger as if he was afraid to touch it more than he actually needed to.

Jack laughed. As the strange sensation that came with the staff being handled by anyone else stopped feeling so threatening, Bunny's overly cautious actions looked simply hilarious. The pooka glared at him and all but pushed the staff back in his hand. He was visibly relieved when Jack's finger curled back around the shaft and frost covered it once more.

Bunny made an attempt to pull himself back together. He drew himself up to his full height and planted a menacing finger on Jack's nose.

"Next time you decide to dress up for Halloween, find someone else to make fun of."

The winter spirit crossed his eyes to look at the finger on his nose before giving Bunny his most innocent look.

"I just did it for the children. They love you."

The pooka withdrew his finger with a startled smile, obviously flattered. His ears fell backward as he chuckled.

"Of course they love me. I—"

Jack interrupted him by patting him on a furry cheek with a grin."

"Of course they love you. Kids love fluffy bunnies."

He flew off with a laugh before Bunny could really process his words. Even when his laughter turned into a little shriek as a boomerang knocked him out of the air and into a small lake of paint, he decided it had been worth it.

* * *

** So, kyuubecky wanted to see what would happen if Bunny took Jack's staff and several people wanted his reaction to Jack's costume, so I put the two together and here is this chapter. **

**Since there's still a bit of time before I have to go sleep, I'm going to try and doodle a cover for this story, supposing photoshop is willing to not crash long enough for that.**


	31. Letting Go

**I actually got photoshop to work long enough for me to slap some color on a canvas to make a cover. I couldn't manage much in half an hour, but it'll have to do for now, I was tired of using some generic official artwork. I'll keep this one until I start to hate it. Which is likely going to be by the end of the week-end.**

**This is a prequel to ****_Kids Need To Grow Up_**

* * *

Spring had been here for a while now and Jack spent spending most of his time in the northern parts of the world, where he could still enjoy a good snowball fight now and then. But he decided to make one last trip to Burgess before leaving the area entirely until the next cold season. There was a couple of teenagers he wanted to see one last time before he disappeared for a few months.

He let the wind carry him along the familiar path to the town, deep in thought. He would visit Cupcake first, he decided. Last time he had seen the girl, she had looked sad and withdrawn, barely smiling when he tried to cheer her up. Cupcake may have hung on to her childhood memories, but it was hardly filling her with innocent laughter and happy dreams. Already having a hard time because of how different she was from the other girls, this only served to isolate her more. Jack knew what it was like to be alone. He made a point of visiting as often as he could. It helped appease the guilt he felt over the situation.

It was getting late when he reached her house, but a light still shone in Cupcake's room. Large snowflakes started to fall as he hovered by her window, peering inside. She was talking on the phone, he saw, with a small smile on her face. His own lips stretched into a wide grin. She was actually having a conversation. And smiling. Two things she had done very little of last time he saw her. Maybe that therapy thing was actually doing some good. He had been doubtful, wondering how she was supposed to explain to her therapist that she couldn't get close to the other teens because she still believed in Santa Claus at her age.

Not wanting to interrupted her conversation, he waited by the window for her to finish. He noticed while he did that she had changed her bedcover. This one was still pink, but a more muted one. A more adult one. His grin faded a little as he looked at it, a certain sadness filling him. He pushed it away. Cupcake was placing the phone down on her bedside table and looked at the window, her own smile widening slightly. He waved at her.

He flew back a bit when she opened the window, trying to stay eye-level with her, but she was not looking at him. She stared at the snowflakes falling slowly between them. Jack ignored the cold dread rising in his chest.

"Hi Cupcake! I thought I'd visit one last time this spring, before I leave. I hope you don't mind a little late snowfall. You usually don't. I'll be visiting Jamie, too. I hope he's not sleeping already."

He knew he was babbling, but her lack of answer made him want to fill the silence with something. Otherwise he would have to actually think.

Cupcake reached out, letting a snowflake land on her fingers. She smiled a little wider, then shook her head as if fondly remembering something a little silly. She closed the window again without ever looking at Jack.

He stayed there for some time, watching her get in bed and turn off the light. He knew it was for the best. She would be happier for it. A part of him had always known that, but a bigger, more selfish part, the one that was sick and tired of being invisible, had refused to acknowledge it. Had refused to see that he would only hurt the kids by trying to keep them from growing up.

Maybe that's what parents felt like, when they had to let their children leave to live their own life. It was hard, but it was time to let go, now. For their own good. Jack took a deep breath.

There was someone else he needed to visit tonight.

* * *

**I very nearly did not write a chapter today because, while I have a list of stuff I want to write about, none of it interested me right now. Mostly because I can't find a good way to write any of it. It appears I am suffering from writer's block. And it sucks. **

**If any of you want to leave suggestions, I would like that. I'm not making any promises that I will write what you want, but maybe something will spark my inspiration and you'll actually get a chapter tomorrow. I haven't missed a day yet and I'd be sad to.**


	32. Look Where You're Going

**The great thing about week-ends is that I get to stay in bed and staying in bed helps me think of story ideas. This one just randomly came to me while being too lazy to get up. It's based on a big cliché, but I hope I manage to do something interesting with it. It's going to be in three parts.**

**I want to thank everyone who left suggestions. I've noted down several of them and I hope to manage to work them into stories. And, since I've been neglecting my art lately, I just might illustrate chapter 30. I'll post a link on my profile if I do.**

* * *

Bunny wasn't sure why he was racing around the warrens to catch the annoying winter spirit this time. The reason had lost its significance at some point during the chase. What mattered was that, when he caught him, he would make him pay. For whatever it was he had done this time.

Frostbite had a head start, but Bunny was catching up. The young Guardian's speed was impressive, but he couldn't outrace a rabbit. He felt a triumphant smile tugging at his lips. The long chase would simply make his victory that much sweeter. Jack looked back at him and his eyes widened when he saw how closed he was, but the mischievous twinkle did not leave his eyes. He threw Bunny a lopsided grin.

The pooka prepared to bound on him, to tackle him to the ground and knock that grin from his face, when he noticed something ahead, something that the winter spirit was clearly not paying attention to.

"Look out!"

His warning came too late. Jack could only manage to somewhat lessen the impact with the tall rock platform rising in front of him. He still rammed straight into it at impressive speed. Bunny winced as he saw Jack's body limply bounce against the rocky wall several time on its way down. He skidded to a halt at the base of the rock, catching the boy before he hit the ground. He could at least avoid him a few more bruises. Jack's staff clattered to the ground next to them.

He gently lowered the boy to the ground to do some damage evaluation. That kind of crash could hurt even a Guardian. The skin above his left eyebrow was torn where it had hit the rock, but it wasn't bleeding much and Bunny didn't worry about it for now. He tried to feel around the scrape for potential damage to the skull and was relieved to find nothing. He was even more relieved when the boy's eyes fluttered open.

"That'll teach you to come here and be an annoying little brat. Are you even listening to me?"

Jack just blinked at him with unfocused eyes. Bunny held up two fingers and waved them in front of those eyes. They made a rather pathetic attempt to follow. At least he wasn't completely out of it.

"How many fingers do you see, Snowflake?"

"Fingers?"

His voice was weak and confused, which wasn't exactly unexpected after crashing headfirst into a wall. It was still painful to hear. Bunny grabbed his chin and tried to make eye contact.

"Jack, look at me, will you?"

"Jack?"

"Okay, this isn't getting us anywhere."

He scooped up the boy. He could patch up that scrape first. If he wasn't responding any more coherently after that, then he would start worrying. After a moment of hesitation, he gingerly picked up the staff as well. Jack barely even reacted. Bunny pretended he wasn't already worrying.

* * *

By the time Bunny was done wrapping gauze around his head, Jack was actually looking at him. That was good. He was holding his staff once more, distractedly turning it between his fingers. Several bruises were now visible on his too pale skin. Bunny hoped none of the others saw him before they had faded. He looked like a kid who just got beaten up and the wide-eyed way he was staring at him wasn't helping.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Jack nodded before wincing. He raised a hand to his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hey, don't try moving your head too fast, Snowflake. Now, how many fingers?"

He waved the two fingers in front of Jack's face again once he opened his eyes. This time, the icy blue eyes followed them, if with a bit of a delay. Jack gave him a big, proud smile, so different from his usual grin.

"Two."

Bunny was worried. Even if Jack was clearly doing better than he had been right after the crash, he felt like he was talking to a child. More specifically, he felt like he was trying to talk to a child that wasn't Jack.

"Be more careful next time, alright?"

The young Guardian just stared blankly at him, the smile still on his lips.

"Careful?"

"Yes. Careful. So you don't fly headfirst into walls again."

Bunny was starting to strongly suspect that Jack was a little fuzzy on the details of how he had gotten hurt. He shouldn't be surprised. He had hit his head pretty hard, after all. It was no wonder that he might have forgotten how it happened. What he did not understand was why Jack was giving him such a big smile, his eyes lighting up as if he had just gotten the most wonderful news in his life.

"I can fly?"

Bunny took a slow, steadying breath.

* * *

**I was originally going to make this only two parts, but this one would have gotten pretty long if I had taken it as far as I wanted to. And this felt like a good place to stop. You're just going to have to thrust me that this cliché story is actually going somewhere.**


	33. Going Too Far

**Part two of the ****_Look Where You're Going _****arc.**

* * *

Bunny stared numbly as Jack froze his flowers, giggling happily like a small child. He had first wanted to try flying, but the pooka had firmly tugged him back down to the ground when he started to flail around, clumsily zigzagging through the air with none of his usual grace. The last thing he wanted was for Jack to fly into something else. Things were bad enough as it was.

It had quickly become clear that Jack remembered exactly nothing at all. Not his own name or Bunny's or the Guardians or his past life. Nothing. The kid was a blank slate. Like he must have been, when the Man in the Moon had first made him the Spirit of Winter.

That thought hurt Bunny more than anything. That this was what Jack had been like, originally. Before three centuries of loneliness had taken their toll on the boy who would become the Guardian of Fun. It hurt because he could remember. He could recognize the innocent look in Jack's eyes as the same from so long ago, when he had first seen him. He could remember the wide, hopeful smile when he realized Bunny could see him.

But Bunny had left him there alone, as had all the others, and that childlike innocence now hid under the mask of a snarky teenager. And the child under the mask was so damaged it made him want to cry. They did not glimpse the real Jack Frost often. No matter how much the boy wanted company and love, he was hesitant of letting the others too close. Afraid of being hurt.

To be reminded of how he had been once, long ago, was painful and filled him with guilt. He wondered if, maybe, it might be for the best that Jack didn't remember anything anymore. Like this was some sort of second chance they were getting, to make things right. He would have had a family for as long as he could remember.

Bunny shook his head. This scenario was so wrong to him he did not want to think about it any more. That was not the way to go about this. They had to fix their mistakes, not hide them and pretend they didn't exist. Jack would recover, Bunny knew. Guardians always recovered. And when he did, he would remember. And Bunny wouldn't try to stop it from happening.

And it wasn't just that. Jack had not just forgotten the centuries he spent alone and abandoned, he had forgotten everything they had done together since. Their first fight against Pitch, that time, more recently, when they had helped him fight the Boogeyman again and recover his broken staff. Bunny felt like the newest Guardian had finally started to open up to them, then. Like he finally understood that they really were his family. He did not want to lose that for a false happiness. Jack might not remember, but they would.

He made his way to through the frozen flower field to sit in front of Jack. The boy looked up at him with a big grin.

"I see that you're having fun."

"I am, mister rabbit-man. But I'm a little confused. You still didn't tell me who I am or who you are or where we are."

"You're Jack Frost. I'm Bunnymund. This is the Warrens."

Jack raised an eyebrow, obviously expecting a bit more of an explanation.

"Look, you'll remember everything soon enough. You're a Guardian. We can heal from anything that doesn't kill us, and some things that do, too."

Jack clearly didn't understand most of what he said, but he nodded and smiled anyway. Bunny took a deep breath for at least the seventeenth time that day and carefully placed a hand Jack shoulder, mindful of the bruises he knew covered it. The winter spirit didn't look the least bit bothered by them. Bunny reminded himself that he wasn't a fragile porcelain doll, even if he looked like one.

"Jack... I—I need you to know something. I know you're happy right now. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Okay, not really. You're hurt physically, but I know you can handle that."

The winter spirit tilted his head to the side. His smile started to fade an a slight hint of worry entered his eyes. Bunny tried to find the words to say what he meant. He had never been great at that kind of things.

"Soon, you're going to remember, and the pain is going to come back. I'm sorry. Things should have been different, but we can't change the past. Just... just remember that we're here for you, now. We'll fix this. Somehow. We'll make the pain go away. You just need to trust us, alright?"

Jack's smile had disappeared. He just stared at him, his eyes wide, his face even paler than usual, making the bruises that much more obvious. Bunny wondered if he was starting to remember. He both feared and hoped that he was.

He pulled the boy against his chest and stroked his messy white hair. It felt like he was holding an ice statue. He was cold and stiff in his arms and he did not relax one bit. Jack let himself be held for a moment before pushing away from him.

"Jack? Talk to me, Snowflake, you're worrying me."

"I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for? It's not your fault you—"

"_I'm sorry!_"

Jack stood and took a step away from him, clutching his staff to his chest. Bunny stood as well and stared, wondering what was going on now.

"I just wanted to have a bit of fun, I never meant for you to feel so bad. I-I wasn't thinking clearly."

"You better start making sense very soon, mate."

Bunny had a feeling he knew exactly what Jack was trying to say, but he didn't want to believe it. Jack just lowered his head and repeated his apology in a small, quiet voice.

"I'm sorry... I should not have taken this joke so far."

Bunny had to take a deep, calming breath again, but this time to keep the cold anger in check. So this had all been a joke to him. A game. He walked up to Jack and curled his fingers into the blue fabric covering the Guardian's shoulders. Jack raised his head and finally looked at him, his eyes full of guilt. He lifted him until their noses almost touched.

"Get. Out."

He did not need to be told twice.

* * *

**And now I'm off to draw things. I'll be back tomorrow with the last part of this story!**


	34. I'm Not Sorry

**This is the sequel to ****_Going Too Far _****and the final part of this arc. Just to clarify, Jack was not actually pretending right after he crashed into the rock wall. He was originally genuinely confused. Its only after that he decided to turn it into a joke.**

* * *

Spring was almost there in the Southern Hemisphere and Jack Frost would have to leave soon. He had been putting away his visit to Bunnymund as long as he could, but staying longer would make things worse. He had given Bunny two months to cool down already. Waiting more wasn't going to make things any better. Hopefully the pooka would be willing to at least listen to him. All he needed was for Bunny to hear him out. He couldn't face any of the others until he had at least tried to resolve this.

He found Bunny in his Warrens, fiddling with the paint flowers to prepare them for the next Easter. Jack held the green box he had brought with him tightly to his chest as he carefully walked up to him. He stopped a good distance away and waited for Bunny to acknowledge his presence. A few long minutes passed without the pooka making any sings that he knew he was there. This wasn't going to be easy.

"I brought you chocolates."

He held out the green box, hoping this at least would interest Bunny. The pooka continued working on the flowers as if he wasn't there. Jack threw the box at him. He came here ready to be all sweet and apologetic, but he hated being ignored. He had been ignored for too long. Bunny didn't even react when the box collided with his back and fell on the ground. Jack clenched his staff in his hands.

"You said that you would fix things. That you would make the pain go away. Were you lying?"

That got a reaction out of him. Before Jack could even register that Bunny had moved, he was being lifted by the front of his shirt. Angry green eyes glared down at him. Jack glared right back. He was done trying to spare Bunnymund's feelings.

"Don't you dare try to use that against me."

"Why not?"

"_Why not?_ Do you even need to ask? You—"

"I what? Showed you things you didn't want to see? It's not my fault that seeing me happy makes you feel so guilty."

Bunny dropped him and took a step back. He looked like he had just been slapped. Jack wasn't about to stop there.

"You're mad because I hurt your feelings? You spent three centuries hurting my feelings."

"Jack—"

"_I'm not done talking!_"

Bunny took one more step backward.

"I said I was sorry, and I was, but now I'm not even sure why. What did I actually do to you that was so bad? If you felt guilty, maybe it's _because you_ _should!_"

Bunny just stared at him silently. Now that he had said what he hadn't really meant to say when he came here, Jack felt the anger slowly drain out of him. Now, he just felt empty and numb as he waited for a reaction. He thought he had been ready for anything, but he still felt crushed when Bunny turned away from him and walked back to where he had been sitting before.

Jack sighed as his shoulder drooped. He had to fight an urge to apologize. He said nothing he didn't mean. He had half turned away to leave when he saw Bunny pick up the fallen box of chocolates. He felt hope coming back to him as the pooka stared for a long time at the green box with its pink ribbon. The spring colors had been chosen by someone who knew a thing or two about reconciliations and chocolates.

Bunny slowly tugged the ribbon off and opened the box. He picked one flower shaped piece and placed it in his mouth. The Easter Bunny was picky, when it came to chocolates. He would not settle for anything but the best and Jack had needed to ask the only other expert he knew for help.

"Those are good. Where did you get them?"

Jack felt frost cover his cheeks as his temperature dropped in embarrassment. He had been hoping Bunny wouldn't ask.

"Cupid. I-I didn't knew who else—"

"Okay. Forget I asked."

"I swear there's nothing fishy about them. They're just chocolates."

"I believe you."

Jack was relieved. The last thing he wanted was for Bunny to think he was using Cupid's help to make him forget he was mad at him. Not that the cherub hadn't offered, of course.

"Why did you do it, mate?"

He did not sound angry, just like he was trying to understand. Jack tried to remember. He wasn't even sure himself what he had originally been thinking. But he did know why he hadn't stopped when he should have.

"I... don't really remember why I thought this would be funny. I wasn't really thinking straight and it was hilarious in my head at the time. I just wanted to see how you'd react. Then I would have laughed and told you it was just a joke."

"But you didn't."

Jack stared at his feet, played with his staff and generally avoided looking at Bunny.

"No. I didn't. I... enjoyed pretending too much. I guess acting like myself is easier than being myself. It felt great. I could just smile like an idiot and play and—"

He took a deep breath, not sure he really wanted to finish that sentence. He still did not look at Bunny.

"And?"

"And you actually cared without me having to feel so vulnerable. You usually only show you care when I—"

"I'm sorry."

Jack looked up hesitantly. This time Bunny was the one not looking at him. He stared at the box of chocolate instead.

"You're right, you know. I shouldn't be blaming you for what I was feeling. It was still a bad joke."

"I'm sorry."

"Next time you need a bloody hug, Snowflake, just ask for one."

Jack nodded, but knew he wouldn't.

* * *

**That's the end of this arc, but I might do a chapter where Jack asks Cupid for help. I kind of want to introduce a really over the top character. **

**Also, I said I would do an illustration for chapter 30, but my computer crashed yesterday and I couldn't. I'll try again today.**


	35. Breathless

Everything around him was dark. He could not open his eyes, knowing the pain that would come if he did, but he knew it would be no help. There was no light to be seen. He could feel his lungs burning. He coughed, trying to expel the liquid filling them, but there was no air for him to breathe in. He tried to move his arms and legs in a way that would propel him upward, to the surface, but he had never been a good swimmer. He would drown if he didn't get out soon.

But he wasn't afraid. Jack was laughing too much to be afraid. And that was a big part of the problem. He could have held his breath otherwise. Instead, he was now choking on paint as he flailed around helplessly to try and reach the surface. When that didn't work, he resorted to holding his staff up so the tip would break the surface and waving it around. He knew Bunny would come to investigate when he failed to get out on his own.

It did not take long before he felt someone grab the end of the staff and pull him upward. Soon, his next coughing fit brought in fresh air instead of more paint. A hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him out, dropping him on the grass next to the lake. He laid there for a moment, coughing and laughing, his free hand clutching a fistful of grass as he struggle to catch his breath.

"Snowflake? You alright?"

Bunny sounded more than a little disturbed, as if he had been worried and now just didn't know what to make of the situation. It made Jack laugh even harder. He sat up once he could mostly breathe again and reached in the direction the pooka's voice came from. The paint still dripping from his hair convinced him not to try to open his eyes yet. His handed connected with something furry.

"Stop it. You're smearing paint all over me."

Jack gave him an innocent smile. A new coughing fit kept him from replying.

"What are you all happy about? You could have drowned in there."

So that was what was bothering Bunny so much. Bunny might have heard that he had died drowning, but he hadn't been thinking about that when he knocked him into the paint lake. Jack smiled brightly at him, closing his fingers around a fistful of fur to make sure Bunny wasn't going anywhere.

"Of course not. You were there to save me!"

And with that, he threw himself on Bunny, wrapping his arms tightly around him in a hug and making sure to spread as much paint over his fur as he could manage. Bunny yelled and tried to push him away but he hung on.

"Let go! Right now! Frostbite I swear if you don't stop it right now I'm throwing you back into the lake."

Jack rubbed his paint-covered hair against Bunny's shoulder affectionately.

* * *

**This was a sequel to ****_Be Careful With That_****, if you couldn't tell. For once, I completely ignored a chance to do something angsty. I wanted to do something short and silly before going to sleep. To the person who requested a hug: that wasn't it. I'll do that in a more serious way at some point.**


	36. It Was Time

**I got a late start today, then got really distracted looking at fanarts, but I still managed to write a little chapter before going to sleep. This is a sequel to ****_Kids Need To Grow Up._**

* * *

North hurried to the Globe room after the yeti came to fetch him. Jack had been coming here frequently all through the summer. He was normally somewhere in the southern hemisphere, this time of the year, bringing winter there and visiting Bunnymund. Or bothering him, as the pooka insisted on calling it.

He knew why, of course. He hadn't, when he first notice how often the young Guardian chose to make the trip across the tropical lands and the warm, summer weather. He would arrive exhausted and would sit in the Globe room for hours, watching the lights. North did not understand it, not until he noticed a specific light starting to dim. He did not know what happened to cause this, but obviously Jack did and was not surprised. It did not look like it hurt him any less.

The winter spirit was right where North had expected to find him. But he wasn't looking at the Globe this time. He had buried his head in his knees and was hugging his legs. His shoulders shook slightly. All around, yetis and elves shifted around uneasily, unsure what to do. An elf stood next to the boy with a platter of cookies, but he was ignored. North sighed. This had to happen sooner or later.

He almost did not want to turn around. To see what he knew he would, or rather would not, see. But he did and his suspicion was confirmed. Jamie's light, once so bright, was gone. The child, now almost a man, had stopped believing in the Guardians. North felt a deep sadness at that. There had been a time when he was the only one left to believe in them. Their fate had depended on keeping that light burning. But that was years ago. The light had burned longer than it should have already. It was time for Jamie to become an adult.

North looked back at Jack, then at the crowd that had gathered, and sighed. He walked to where the boy was sitting and simply scooped him up before walking out of the Globe room. Jack's fingers clutched at his shirt and he leaned his head against his shoulder. North could feel the icy tears soaking the fabric before freezing. He carried him to his room, regretting not taking his coat with him before coming here. The young Guardian's room was, as usual, freezing and the cold body in his arms was not helping. But he was not about to let go just because it was a bit chilly.

North sat down on the bed, Jack still cradled in his arms. He gently stroked his hair and whispered soothing nonsense in Russian in his ear. He held him until the silent sobs calmed and the tears stopped. Only then did he try to talk about what happened.

"It was time, Jack."

"I know." Jack's answer was quiet, barely above a whisper. North squeezed him a little more tightly.

"You came here often, all summer. How did you know?"

North felt Jack take a deep breath and tremble slightly. He rubbed the boy's back soothingly.

"Because I told him it would be better if he... if..."

Jack could not finish his sentence, but North didn't need him to. His eyes widened.

"You asked him to stop believing?"

"It was time..." he whispered in a broken voice.

"It was."

"North... the way he looked at me, when I told him... it was... as if I was abandoning him..."

Jack buried his head in North's shoulder again and he felt more tears wet the frozen fabric. He rocked the boy gently until he had stopped crying again. He knew that if there was one person who would feel terrible at the idea of abandoning anybody, it was Jack.

"You did what was best, Jack."

"I know. But why does it have to hurt so much?"

North had no answer to that. He just held him closer.


	37. Paper Snowflakes

**This is part of the Halloween arc. Which is now an arc, apparently.**

* * *

Jamie carefully cut some more holes in the folded piece of white paper, determined to outdo his little sister. He was not going to just sit here as a four years old girl managed to make more impressive paper snowflakes than him. That would not do. He was no artist, but surely he could do this. It shouldn't be so hard to make them look like snowflakes rather than white squares with holes in them.

They sat on Jamie's bed, surrounded by their Halloween candies, which they ate a piece of between each snowflakes. This had been Sophie's idea. She came to his room with a pile of white paper, saying that Jack Frost had come to Burgess but there was still no snow, so they should make their own. Jamie had been surprised when he woke up today to see that it had not snowed yet. He wondered what was taking Jack so long.

Jamie carefully unfolded his paper and smiled proudly as he examined his work. He had cut significantly more of the paper this time, actually revealing distinct points once he spread it on the bedcover. He raised it up for Sophie to see.

"See that, Soph? What do you think of this one?"

"What are you two making, paper lace?"

Jamie felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment as he heard the Guardian's words coming from the window. He was so sure he had a nice one, this time. Sophie laughed. He turned to give Jack a sullen glare, but paused when he saw the winter spirit.

"What's with the clothes? It's not Halloween anymore."

The Guardian had traded his usual blue hoodie and ancient-looking pants for a blue holiday sweater with a large white snowflake at the front and a pair of jeans. A green, red and white wool cap with Christmas patterns covered his white hair for some reason Jamie could not fathom. He would look like a normal, if unnaturally pale, teenager ready to go outside in the chilly early November air if not for his still bare feet and the frost covering the new clothes.

"Mines are getting cleaned at the North Pole. I had to wear something else until then."

"Is your hair getting cleaned, too?"

"Something like that."

Sophie interrupted his interrogation by running up to Jack and giving him a brief hug before taking his hand and dragging him to the bed.

"We're making paper snowflakes! Since you didn't make snow yet." she said, smiling happily at him. "Do you want to try?"

"Paper snowflakes? Those aren't snowflakes."

Jamie flushed again, looking at their growing collection cut papers. They did look like lace.

"Yeah, well, we can't all be snowflakes experts like you. Maybe if you had made some real snow for us, we wouldn't have to make fake one."

"I'll give you a snow day when I've had a chance to sleep. I had to make a trip to Australia and swing by the North Pole on my way here. I just thought I'd drop by before finding myself a nice spot to take a nap. But those snowflakes, you're going about it wrong."

"What do you mean, wrong?"

"They're squares. Your patterns are there four times, see? Snowflakes are hexagons. The patterns repeat six times. So those look all wrong to me."

"Oh."

Looking between the snowflakes they made and large one on Jack's shirt, he noticed the difference. It seemed minor to him, but it might be a pretty big deal to Jack. Snowflakes were kind of his thing, after all.

"Here, let me show you how to make real paper snowflakes."

Jack grabbed one of their square sheets of paper and folded it in a triangle, before carefully folding it in three. He then picked up the scissors and cut the points sticking out so he had a triangle with all of the sides equal.

"If you cut it like that, you get a hexagon, folded in six. Now we just need to cut the pattern into it!"

He folded his triangle in two again and began to quickly make cuts in the sides. Jamie watched with fascination as small pieces of white paper fell like snow on the bed. Jack looked like he knew exactly what he was doing and what the snowflake would look like once he unfolded it.

He got momentarily distracted when Sophie made a face as if she just had a sudden idea and got up from the bed, running to the chair where he had left his costume the previous night. He wondered what she was doing, but he returned his attention to what Jack was doing when the Guardian started to unfolded the piece of white paper to reveal a beautifully intricate snowflake that could not be confused for anything else.

"See? That's how you—hey!"

Jamie let out a gasp followed by a burst of laughter as Sophie tugged the wool cap off of Jack's head, uncovering the formerly white hair. It looked like he had decided to dye it rainbow and couldn't quite wash it off. His hair was now unevenly colored with various pastel shades. Sophie stared for a moment and started giggling. Jack looked embarrassed for maybe a second before running a hand through his hair with a bashful smile.

"Bunny wasn't impressed with my Halloween costume. White hair his hard to clean."

Sophie smiled and held up Jamie's white wig, the one he had worn yesterday.

"You can have Jamie's hair."

Jack laughed and took the wig from her hands. He put it on his head and tucked his own pastel colored strands underneath. It looked absurd, the hair obviously fake, but Jack did not seem to care. With a large smile, he picked up two more piece of paper and held them up for them.

"Now, what about those snowflakes?"

* * *

**Thanks to Nicki K for the paper snowflakes idea. I had to actually try making some snowflakes before I could write this. I spent most of my morning doing that (and trying to figure out how to cut paper into a hexagon without too much math being involved. Turned out there's an easy way). I got really nostalgic. Especially when I realized the scissors I was using were the ones my mom bought for me when I started kindergarten about 20 years ago. I likely made my first paper snowflake with those. I can't believe they survived this long. Now I have a bunch of snowflakes decorating my wall. And they're a lot prettier than the square ones. **


	38. Childhood Fantasies

**Part of the ****_Kids Needs To Grow Up _****arc. Sets after ****_It Was Time._**

* * *

Jack walked upon the surface of the pond at the Tooth Palace, the water freezing underneath his feet. He lightly walked up to the beautiful fresco of Tooth and the children so he could better admire it. It was here that the fairy had explained to him how they kept the teeth containing the precious memories of childhood, so they could remind the children of happier times when they needed it.

Jack wished that could work for him. He wished that seeing some mostly forgotten memory of his childhood might lift the sadness that had fallen over him since the beginning of the summer and only increased after the moment he had both dreaded and looked forward to finally came. But he knew that it wouldn't. He could barely recognize the brown-haired boy as himself and the memories felt like they belonged to someone else. Only his very last memory truly felt like his own and right now it brought very little joy to his heart. His sister had never been able to see him, after he was reborn. He remembered her, from early in his new life, looking right through him.

Baby Tooth sat on his shoulder, staring at him in worry. Tooth had not been there when he arrived, so she decided to keep him company. He did not mind. He was not really here to see Tooth. He was not sure why he was even here. He just let the wind carry him wherever it would after the pain in his heart became too much for him to stand.

"Do they even remember us, after they stop believing?"

"Of course they do, Jack"

Tooth's voice startled him. He had been so lost in thoughts that he had not noticed her. He wondered if she knew what he was referring to. Or rather, who. From the compassionate expression on her face, he suspected that she did. She flew down to where he stood and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"He may not remember the time you spent together as anything more than childish fantasies, but he will remember you. Even if he doesn't believe you're real, he'll remember."

She rested her cheek on his head and he leaned back into her embrace, needing the support.

"And maybe, one day, he'll walks outside in the snow and a snowflake will fall on his nose. And he'll smile as he remembers how, long ago, he thought this meant the Spirit of Winter was inviting him to have fun and forget his troubles."

Jack smiled a little as he pictured this. The idea that, even as merely a memory, he could still bring joy to those who had once believed in him brought him some peace. It made the pain more bearable.


	39. Who Am I?

**This is set immediately after the movie's intro scene.**

He walked back to the frozen lake, trying to push the ghost town out of his mind. It's what he tried to convince himself that it was. A town full of ghosts, who could neither see or touch the living as they re-enacted their life, unaware of their death. Otherwise, he would have to think that he himself is the ghost. And that was not something he wanted to consider.

A frown made its way on his face when he looked down at his feet. He wore no shoes, yet, while he felt the cold surface of the frozen lake underneath his feet, it caused him no discomfort. He felt chilled to his very core, but it was not a bad feeling. The cold was familiar. Welcomed.

His eyes landed on the more chaotic patterns of frost on the ice, where the shepherd's crook he was holding painted delicate frozen lines on the otherwise smooth ice. He lifted the staff to inspect it, marvelling at the ice that now covered most of it. It seemed to be thicker where his hands rested, even moving as he trailed his fingers along the shaft. A faint blue glow emanated from within the ice, coloring it. This was no normal frost. The staff must be magical.

He wondered where it came from and why it reacted to his touch the way it was. It felt right in his hands. He had been drawn to it from the moment he was pulled from the lake and he felt its power resonate within him. It was his, and no one else's, he knew. It was one of the very few things he knew.

Remembering what he had done earlier, he decided to experiment. He placed the crook of the staff against a rock and watched as frost started to cover it. He felt as if the cold inside him reached through the frozen staff to spread upon anything it touched. It wasn't just the staff. _He _was doing that.

A little shakily, he rested his fingers on the bark of a tree and tried to pull from the iciness within him. Nothing happened. He closed his eyes and tried again. He could feel a pulsing cold inside him. He willed some of that cold to travel up his arm and through his fingers. He felt the texture of the bark change under his pale fingertips. He opened his eyes and smiled proudly when he saw the thin, white lines of frost extending from the tips of his fingers. It wasn't just the staff.

His smile faded a moment later when he remembered the townsfolk who had walked right through him. How could he truly believe that they were the ghosts, when he was a pale, cold boy with no memory, pulled from beneath the ice, who could freeze things with a mere touch? If they were ghosts, he certainly wasn't normal himself.

He looked up at the large moon in the sky, the first thing he could remember seeing, and begged it for answers.

"What am I? Who am I?"

And, shockingly, the Moon answered.

"_Jack Frost._"


	40. Nap Time

**This is kind of a companion piece to ****_Colder Than Death_**

* * *

Bunny still thought that the boy looked dead when he slept. He frowned. Jack had spent so much time alone with no one to answer to but himself that he did not know some basic things like how you don't just decide to take a nap on the ground while visiting someone. It's rude. Bunny had left him alone for only half an hour and he had returned to find the white haired kid just lying on his side on the grass, not moving.

It had taken all of Bunny's discipline to calm down enough to realize he was fine. Frost still covered the shepherd's crook held loosely between pale fingers and he did not appear to be hurt. Looking closely, Bunny could see his chest rise and fall regularly. He glared at the sleeping child. He could swear he was just trying to make him worry for his entertainment. Even if he could not even see him worry.

Bunny sighed. He could hardly blame him for having little understanding of what he should or shouldn't do when around others. Or ever, really. It was not like anyone had ever told him. It wasn't like he was used to having a bed to sleep in, either. Or like he knew he had one for that matter.

They had all decided to make some space for Jack to stay in their respective domain. He was quite certain that the others had a quite heartwarming moment with the winter spirit when they had decided to show him the room they had made for him. Bunny hadn't gotten around to doing that yet. He just couldn't find a way to tell him that did not sound overly sentimental. Now would be a good time, though. He could just pick up the sleeping kid and tell him, when he woke up, that if he wanted to take a nap, he could do it in his bed. That would work.

He slipped his arms under Jack's back and knees, expecting it to startle the boy awake. It didn't. Jack merely mumbled something in his sleep and buried his nose into Bunny's chest as he was lifted up. The pooka blinked down at him. Jack looked a little less dead and a lot more like a child. He was hugging his staff to his chest and a small smile stretched his lips in his sleep. Bunny would be damned before admitting it was adorable.

He shook his head and decided to just carry him to his room. He was more than a little shocked at how light the boy was. Now he could understand better how he just seemed to drift on the wind like a snowflake. He looked so frail and delicate right now, Bunny could almost forget just how obnoxiously energetic the winter spirit could be. He caught himself cradling him protectively against his chest.

Jack's room was a simple cavern in the Warrens, but Bunny had made sure to properly decorate it. An elaborate scene had been painted on the walls, a frozen lake surrounded by rime-covered trees, with small snowflakes falling lightly. The winter landscape was lit from above by a large blue moon. The bed was not an actual bed, rather a mound of cushions and blankets on the ground in pale shades of blue and white. Bunny gently placed the winter spirit on the cushions and pulled the blankets around him.

Jack briefly woke up as Bunny let go of him, blinking sleepily up at the pooka. He looked around in confusion, not recognizing his current location. Bunny finished arranging the blankets around him and smoothed a few strands of white hair back, looking into Jack's puzzled blue eyes.

"You're home. Go back to sleep."

* * *

**My computer is dying. I had to type this chapter in safe mode. I'm a bit too frustrated with this to try to write anything fancy. If I don't update for a few days, it's because I had to send my computer to be fixed.**


	41. Monsters Under The Bed

Sandy looked at the empty bed with a frown. He came here as fast as he could after his dreamsand failed to find the young boy who should have occupied the bed. The entire family was asleep in the single room of their small house. It had been dark for an while now and they would have needed to light a candle if they stayed awake. They did not look like a wealthy family. Sleep was less expensive than candles.

The parents' bed was hidden from view behind a curtain and the only sound coming from there was their slow, even breathing as they slept. They did not know of their eldest child's disappearance. Near the curtain, a baby girl slept in a wooden cradle. Golden sand flew over her head in no distinct shapes as she dreamt. Sandy smiled softly at her.

The front door had been partially open when he arrived, as if someone had tried to close it in a hurry and not quite succeeded. Sandy wondered why a young child would decide to go outside alone so late. The adults usually did a good job of scaring them into staying inside after dark. He did not think that was the good way to go about this, but he was not the one raising them. Sighing, he climbed on his golden cloud to try and find the wayward child.

Circling around the small village, he eventually heard quiet sobs coming from the woods. He followed them to their source to find the small, brown-haired boy sitting against a tree in his nightshirt, crying softly. He hugged his legs to his chest, shivering in the chill of the night. He raised his head when he noticed the golden glow of the sand coming near him and looked at him with wide, frightened eyes. Sandy gave him a reassuring smile as he got down from the cloud. Recognition lit the boy's features.

"Y-you... a-are you the Sandman?" the child asked in a small, trembling voice.

Sandy nodded and the boy smiled brightly, his tears forgotten. He got up and walked to stand in front of him, his big brown eyes full of curiosity. The Sandman let the child circle him once before forming the picture of a bed in the sand above his head. The smile disappeared as the child took a step back, his eyes filled with fear once more. He hugged himself, trembling.

"T-there was something... under the bed. I-I saw... the shadows move. I-I got scared and I ran. Now I don't know where I am..."

The boy sniffled and rubbed his eyes. Sandy looked carefully in the darkness around them but found no trace of the black form he searched for. If the Boogeyman had decided to scare the boy, he must have left when he saw him. Or it could be nothing, of course. Just a mouse scurrying under the bed.

"I-I want to go back home. Even if there's a monster under the bed. It's scary here."

The fear left is eyes as golden sand entered them. Sandy caught him as he fell asleep and gently placed him on the golden cloud. He watched with satisfaction as happy dreams formed in the sand, chasing the darkness away from his thoughts. He flew the boy back to his house and carried him to his small bed, tucking him in. It was a rare thing for him to actually see the children sleep and dream. He usually remained far away.

Before he left, he made sure to check under the bed. Sometime the monsters were real.

* * *

**I wanted to do something with Jack as a kid and I hadn't used Sandy in a while so there you go! Sorry my stories are all really short right now, I have some longer ones planned but I don't have the attention span to try to write them at the moment. I've been trying to fix my computer all night and I want to draw things.**


	42. Closure

**This is the last part I have planned for the ****_Letting Go_**** arc.**

* * *

Winter came late to Burgess that year. The town had known early snowfalls for the past three hundred years as the winter spirit that inhabited the small lake returned home as soon as he could. Especially in recent years, when the children had started to believe in him. But it had been long enough for many of those children to grow up and stop believing as well and Jack Frost was in no hurry to return home this time.

He came on the last day of fall, the day before the solstice that would mark the anniversary of his rebirth as a Guardian. It seemed fitting to him. He told Jamie he would see him in fall and that was as long as he could wait and still hold that promise. Not that Jamie would know if he did or not. But Jack would and he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't keep to the last words he ever said to his first believer. The last words he would hear, at least.

The winter solstice had always been a time of renewal to him. It was what he could call his birthday. It did not matter to him that the date was not always the same. A number on the calendar was meaningless to him compared to the natural cycle of seasons. Every year, on this day, he would take a moment to look back at the year just past and look forward to the next one. He would push away the pain and sorrow the previous year had brought and decide which way he wanted to go from here. It was his New Year resolutions.

For much of his new life, this had been a way for him to remain optimistic. To tell himself that he would do better this time and that, if he tried hard enough, someone would finally acknowledge him. To forget his loneliness in favor of resolving to do better this time. It was the time when he pulled himself back together so he could face one more year alone and ignored. This little ritual kept him sane. Mostly.

It had been a happier time, lately. There was less pain to discard and more joy to look forward to. He still took the time to think back, to see what he did right and what he did wrong and to learn from it. There was still some pain to push away, of course. Everything was not suddenly sunshine and rainbows since he became a Guardian. And this year, his time of introspection would take back its old role of saving his sanity.

He waited for Jamie by the college he attended. He stifled a laugh when he saw him. Jamie was eighteen years old now and was apparently trying to prove he was an adult by growing a beard. Or at least that was what he assumed the patchy hair on his chin was supposed to be. It was not exactly impressive. He would love nothing more than to fly up to him and make a snarky comment about it. But there was no point. Jamie would not hear it.

The smile that made its way on his lips faded as he remembered why he had waited so long to return here this time. He got a harsh reminder as Jamie's eyes briefly landed on a spot behind him, without seeing the white haired teen standing in-between. He had the confirmation he didn't really need. He should just go now. But he couldn't. Not yet. There was one more thing he needed to do. He knew it would just cause him unnecessary pain, but he would do it anyway. He needed the closure.

He sighed and silently followed as Jamie chatted with his friends until they parted way to each return home. He looked happy. That was a comfort. Jack flew past his oblivious friend as he continued alone on his way home. He landed lightly on the sidewalk ahead of Jamie and waited. Every inch of him protested as he just stood there, in the way, with someone who could not see him walking straight at him. He wanted to run, to fly away and go bury himself in a snowdrift somewhere, to pretend everything was alright. But he did not move. There would be a time to discard his sorrows later.

He got to see Jamie's new, patchy beard up close as it was level with his eyes. Then the world blurred and the strangest, deepest kind of pain filled him as Jamie's physical form denied his existence and passed right through him. It felt for a moment like he was fading, like he would not survive this attack on his being. It always felt this way, but the emotional pain was deeper, this time. He knew that a small part of him had still held hope that he was wrong, that Jamie still believe, that he would walk up to him and hug him and say he missed him. He had to kill that resilient shred of hope, if he was to move forward. No matter how much it had to hurt.

It only lasted one or two seconds, but it felt like an eternity before the world came back into focus and he felt real again. He stood there trembling, gasping for breath for a few minutes, only moving in a panic as some else came close. He could not handle being walked through again, not now. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he flew to his lake, ready to freeze it, bury it in snow and curl up into a ball until the solstice came. He would pull himself together later. Right now he needed to break down.

A single blast of cold turned the water to ice in an instant. He landed on it in a frantic rush, skidding to a halt when he saw he was not alone. His eyes widened when he saw the Pooka sitting there, trying to hurriedly cover his watercolor paintings to protect them from the now falling snow. Jack stared. Judging from the amount of material scattered around on the shore of his small lake, Bunny had been there for a while.

"Took your time, Frostbite. I was starting to think you wouldn't bury Burgess in snow until winter. They're not used to that."

"What are you doing here?"

"Painting. I can't come up with new, interesting designs for my eggs if I don't go out and see the world sometime."

"But why here?"

"What, do I need an invitation to visit you, Frostbite?"

Jack didn't know what to answer. He didn't know how to react. He wasn't emotionally ready to deal with anyone right now. Bunny's expression softened and he patted the ground next to him. Jack slowly made his way across the ice, trying to look like he was not about to break, and dropped down on the frozen ground next to the Pooka. There was a long moment of silence as both were not sure what to say.

"I saw Jamie, you know. North warned me, but I had to see for myself. He was the kid who kept me from just fading away when no one else believed in me anymore."

Jack nodded numbly. He had expected Bunny to know exactly why he looked like such a mess right now.

"Sophie visited a few times, looking for you. She's confused. She's scared. She didn't know what happened. She tried to get her brother to remember, but he just said she should grow up and stop believing in fairy tales."

Jack closed his eyes. He knew this would be hard on Sophie. But she would have to do exactly that, soon: grow up and stop believing in fairy tales He did not want to think about that right now. Bunny fiddled with a paintbrush.

"Jack... I'm... here for you, you know? If you, er, need a shoulder to cry on or something..."

"I think I've cried enough."

The silence stretched between them. Bunny fiddled with his paintbrush some more. Jack still wanted to break down.

"Bunny... I think—I think I want a hug right now."

The Pooka nodded and discarded the paintbrush before pulling the trembling winter spirit against his chest. Jack buried his face in a furry shoulder, no longer trying to pretend he was fine. He gripped Bunny like a lifeline as the other Guardian rubbed his back. It made him feel real.

"Just remember," Bunny whispered, "that we'll always believe in you."

Jack felt tears sting his eyes. Maybe he could still cry, after all.

* * *

**So, unless a new idea hits me, this is the end of this arc. After that, I'm planning a tie-in for the ****_You Will Fear Me _****and ****_Going Too Far _****arcs. Yes, both of them. And Cupid should make an appearance. **


	43. Anger, Guilt And Fear

**I don't know if any of you remember, but a while ago I said I would do a picture for chapter 30 (with Jack in his Easter Bunny costume and Bunny being angry). Since I do digital art, I couldn't do it because of my computer issues. But I got it to work long enough today, so I finally did that picture. You can check the link on my profile or just look up sisaat on tumblr.**

**This is set between _Going Too Far _and _I'm Not Sorry._**

* * *

A storm raged in Antarctica as Jack tried to calm down. Since leaving the Warrens, all of his attempts to bring snow days to the children had turned to violent storms like this one. He could no longer bring fun with him, only fear. He needed to calm himself.

He turned the situation in his head several times and he no longer knew what exactly it was that he felt. The joke may not have been funny, but it should have been relatively harmless. It hadn't been. Now, Bunnymund was angry at him and he was afraid. Not of Bunny, specifically, but of losing the only family he had. The only people who had cared in a really long time.

But other than the fear, Jack didn't know if he was feeling guilty over Bunny's anger or angry that he had to pay for Bunny's guilt. He wanted to scream into the Easter Bunny's face that it was his own fault, but he was too afraid to lose him. He wanted to beg for forgiveness, but he was too angry to do it. He sighed and buried his face into his knees as the storm raged on. This was getting him nowhere.

He had hoped to never need to come back here. The desolated frozen wasteland had been his refuge whenever he needed a place to scream, to cry, to rage against the world and the unfairness of it all. He thought this was over. Now, he wondered if the place might not become his permanent home. He shivered. He did not think he could survive being alone again. Not after having a taste of what it was like to be loved.

A small, still rational part of his mind told him he was being an idiot. That he was overdramatizing the situation. Bunny was angry, certainly, but that did not mean they would all turn away from him, did it? He pulled his legs closer to his chest. Three centuries spent alone were too much for him to be rational about this. He was afraid.

It was not so long ago that they had faced Pitch again. Only a month. The others had showed him how much they cared, then. And he told them things he had been too afraid to say before. But now, Bunny had told him to leave. Because he had messed up. It was bound to happen, sooner or later. Pitch was right; he made a mess of everything. Maybe he should just have accepted the Boogeyman's offer. Jack shuddered when the thought crossed his mind. Fear must be driving him crazy. No doubt Pitch was overjoyed, wherever he was.

It frustrated him that the Pooka was so willing to hold him and comfort him and promise to make everything better, but only when he was weak and vulnerable. He did not like feeling weak and vulnerable. And so he lied. And now he was bitterly regretting it.

Guilt won over anger, in the end. He had to fix this. He was too afraid of the consequences should he fail to. But he did not know what to do. He wasn't good at patching up relationships. Until recently, he never had a relationship he might need to patch up. Maybe he should try a gift. What did Bunny like? Eggs? Easter? No, wait. Chocolates. Bunny loved chocolates. But he was picky and Jack had no idea where to find some that he would find acceptable. The others might be willing to help, but he could not face them yet. He did not want to admit just how hopeless he was at this whole family thing.

He was about to lose all hope when the idea hit him. It filled him with both hope and dread. There was one person who could help. One person he had been avoiding most of his life. But sometime, sheer loneliness had won and he had sought the other spirit out. Just like he would now. As scary as it was. Staying here alone was scarier.

Maybe this time he would be more ready to deal with the utterly alien and overwhelming _love_ of Cupid.

* * *

**You'll get to meet Cupid next chapter. **


	44. Cupid

**This takes place after _Anger, Guilt And Fear._**

* * *

Jack had been waiting in Cupid's floating palace somewhere over Italy for a few days, now. The spirit wasn't home, but that was not unusual. He would be back, eventually. Jack was happy to steer clear of Australia, even if he usually avoided this half of the world during the northern summer. At least it was cooler up here above the clouds. He sat on the edge of a now-frozen fountain and tried hard not to think. It wasn't working.

No matter how much he told himself that this was all going to work out, that things would return to what he had come to accept as normal, his mind could only come up with worst case scenario. He clutched his recently repaired staff for reassurance. He kept seeing himself back on that frozen plain, remaining there alone until his heart grew cold and he no longer cared. Whenever he tried to lie down on an elaborately carved stone bench to sleep, he only dreamt of cold, lonely darkness. He got little sleep. He sighed and rested his forehead on his cupped hands, gripping his hair.

"Jack Frost! It's been so long!"

He barely had time to register the voice that he was being lifted off the fountain's ledge and pulled into a tight, suffocating embrace as a large hand petted his hair. He had to fight an urge to scream in panic and struggle, knowing it would do little good. The winged spirit would only hold him tighter. All he might possible accomplish was to knock free the fluffy white towel wrapped around the man's waist and he did not want that. He stayed very still and waited it out.

Cupid finally pulled away but did not set him back down. The chubby man was no diapered baby; he was almost as big as North. He easily held him up to examine him with a big smile on his round face. Jack always felt like a cat with an over-affectionate owner whenever he visited. It was something he was very unused to and it made him want to run.

"What's wrong, Jack? You're more skittish than usual and that's saying something. I thought things would improve, now that you're all chummy with the Guardians and all."

He lowered his eyes as he was reminded of the reason of his visit, unable to meet Cupid's overly concerned gaze. The spirit merely raised him higher so he could still meet his eyes. Jack frowned and batted his hands aside, flying a short distance back until he was out of reach. He ignored the other's exaggerated wounded expression. He knew better than to take that too seriously, even if the small part of himself that lived in constant fear these days whispered to him that he had managed to hurt the one person who had always cared. He ignored that, too.

"I... I need your help."

The sheer, utter joy that brightened Cupid's face was not something he had expected and it put him on edge. The spirit of love flew to him and picked him up again, rubbing his cheek against Jack's white hair as he squeeze the air out of his lungs. The winter spirit was at a loss.

"I knew this day would come! Who is it? Is it Tooth? I heard she has quite a crush on you. You shouldn't need my help there."

Jack pushed against Cupid's chest until he could breathe again and gave him a disbelieving stare.

"I'm not here about Tooth! She has a crush on my teeth, not me. Will you let me go?"

He did let him go, but the huge smile did not diminish.

"Whoever it is, I will happily lend you one of my arrows to help you," he said, taking an arrow out of his quiver before replacing it hastily when he noticed the lead tip. "Oops, not those arrows. You're a bit young for those arrows."

He pulled out a gold-tipped arrow instead and made a show of shooting Jack's imaginary love interest with it. The winter spirit rubbed his temples. He almost told Cupid that he was here about Bunny, but he stopped himself in time to avoid a catastrophe.

"It's a box of chocolate that I need."

Cupid's face fell and his shoulders slumped. He set the arrow back in its quiver with a sigh.

"Alright, I can do that, too. I am an expert at making chocolates so delicious they will make the heart melt. But I have to wonder why you came to me for this. As overjoyed as I am to see you, I would have expected you to go to your friend the Easter Bunny for something like that."

Jack looked down again, shuffling and playing with his staff.

"He, uh, is kind of angry with me right now. Because I did something stupid. I—I want to apologize."

"Ah, so it's for reconciliation. And here I was hoping there would be a wedding. It's been so long since we had a wedding, Jack."

He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. Jack stared.

"Very well. I'll help. Do you, how to say, want some assistance in making Bunnymund forgive you? I can help him remember how much he cares."

"No! No. I... need to do this on my own."

"As you want. But Jack, what else is there?"

"W-what else? What do you mean?"

"Your heart is full of fear, Jack. You are closing yourself off to love."

Jack licked his lips nervously.

"This whole thing is just making me nervous, alright? I'm just... I'm afraid of losing them, okay?"

"Are you sure it's just that?"

Jack felt anger rise in him. Cupid's questions were putting doubt into his mind and the doubt made him fear. And fear made him angry. He glared at the winged spirit.

"When can I get those chocolates?"

"Come back in a few days. I'll have them specially made."

Jack nodded and turned to fly away. Cupid, surprisingly, did not try to hug him goodbye.

"Good luck, Jack. With everything."

* * *

**So, are you guys ready for a new arc (that's already kind of started)? Because I am!**


	45. Insidious Fear

**This takes place after ****_I'm Not Sorry_**

* * *

Jack stared in dismay from where he stood on a power line as snow kept falling over Burgess. He was not doing this on purpose, but he did not doubt that he was the one responsible. Snow could fall without his help, but this was his snow. Even if it felt wrong to him.

The children weren't happy. Their parents forced them to dress warmly, ruining their Halloween costumes. He spotted a sulky looking princess, her sparkly dress all deformed by the coat she had been made to wear underneath. Most only had some visible accessories, with most of the outfit hidden from view, to their obvious disappointment. It was mortifying, to the Guardian of Fun. He was ruining his favorite holiday.

He had return north immediately after settling that mess with Bunny, but he had not really known was to do. He could not really bring himself to visit any of the others. He was too afraid to mess things up again. And he could not even do the one thing he was supposed to be good at: bringing fun to children. As a Guardian, he was a failure, lately. Ever since his brush with Pitch. There was likely some connection to be made there, but his mind refused to make it. He sighed. He should just leave, before making things worse here.

"There you are!"

He looked down at the street as Jamie's familiar voice called him and tried a small smile. Some distance behind, he could see a blonde girl with angel wings strapped to her back over her coat and a halo over her head run to a door with her bag of candies, lifting the hem of her white dress. Sophie did not look bothered by the snow. Jamie himself wore no costume that Jack could see. He made a show of looking at the teen up and down.

"I'm trying real hard here, Jamie, but I can't guess what you're dressed as."

"I'm dressed as Jamie Bennet. I'm getting a bit old for this. I'm just accompanying Soph, tonight. What about you? When I saw all that snow, I expected to see you dressed as Santa, giving out candy canes."

Jack's smile turned strained. He wished he had done that. Maybe the children wouldn't mind the snow so much if Santa was there. They were always exited for Christmas and it was coming closer. But his heart just wasn't in it. Maybe he should go visit North, when he left here. He could burry himself in the frantic Christmas preparations and forget his worries. The excitement at the workshop when Christmas neared always brought a smile to his face.

"Jack, are you alright? Get down from there, will you?"

With a sigh, he jumped from the power line and let the wind gently carry him down. He landed in front of Jamie and raised an eyebrow when he noticed the two of them were eye-level. The teen had grown again. He'd be an adult soon and that thought scared him more than he cared to think about right now. Jamie stared for a moment before tilting his head to the side.

"That's weird. I still remember the time when I thought you looked so tall and old. But I guess I'll be taller than you soon."

Jack smiled a little, hoping it did not looked too strained. He poked Jamie in the chest.

"I'm still older than you."

The other teen frowned, looking worried. He opened his mouth to speak but whatever he might have said was lost when Sophie all but tackled the Guardian.

"Jack! You're back! Jamie was so worried for you all summer and it made me worry too. You're alright, right?"

The winter spirit threw Jamie a look. He had made sure to drop by before heading south, to visit Jamie and Cupcake so they would know everything was fine. He had been in much better health then when they last saw him. And in much better spirit then he was now. His emotional state had gone downhill from there, even before his visit to Bunny. Maybe he would have been a bit less willing to pretend, had he been his normal, cheerful self. Maybe he should have pretended a little longer and let the Pooka care for him some more. But he had been afraid of Bunny's reaction should he discover the lie. He clutched his staff. Around them, the snow fell more heavily.

"I just... I couldn't shake off the memory, alright?" Jamie explained, rubbing the back of his head. "Even if you looked a lot better when you visited, the last time we saw you before that you were being carried away wrapped in North's coat, barely conscious. You're not looking so fine now, either. Are you okay?"

Jack plastered a grin on his face. Sophie looked nervously between him and her brother.

"I'm fine," he lied.

Sophie smiled at him and took one of his hands in hers in excitement.

"Can I have a snowflake?"

His false grin turned into a small, but genuine smile. He briefly closed is hand before opening it again, revealing a six-pointed, crystalline form. It was beautiful, but it looked all wrong to him. Sophie clapped her hands happily before closing her eyes, waiting expectantly. Uneasy, Jack sent the large snowflake to touch her lightly on the nose. Her eyes shot open but it wasn't joy that filled them. Rather, he saw unease, anxiety and fear. A reflection of what he himself had been feeling for the past few months. Jack stared in horror.

"J-Jack w-what? What's t-this? I don't feel good. Jamie... I want to go home."

Jack couldn't look away from Sophie's terrified eyes. She looked at him as if he had betrayed her. He took a step back. Jamie pulled his sister against his chest and threw Jack a confused look.

"Jack, what happened? What have you done?"

Those last words echoed in his head. He heard them before, when he had failed people who counted on him. He could barely see the siblings anymore through the flurries of snow. Panicked cries rose around them as parents urged their children to return home. Jamie held Sophie more tightly as the storm battered them. He threw Jack a pleading look.

"Jack, stop this!"

He opened his mouth to speak but he didn't know what to say. The fear clouded his mind and he was no longer controlling his powers. When Jamie reached out to him with a gloved hand, he reacted without thinking. In pure panic, he thumped his staff on the snow-covered street, sending a blast of icy wind at the siblings. He only registered his action when the two fell on the ground, screaming. Utterly terrified, Jack spun around and flew off. He heard Jamie's voice call his name but he did not look back.

His flight brought him to a place he had not expected to return to. When he could finally see the world around him again, he saw that he was currently starting a blizzard in the Sahara, in that same spot where they had defeated Pitch and recovered his broken staff. Shakily, he raised up the staff to take a closer look. Thick, dimly glowing ice covered it and that too looked wrong to him. Looking closer, he could see why.

Thin, wispy tendrils of darkness ran through the ice, barely visible. He followed them with his eyes, easily finding their origin at the point where the staff had previously been broken. Dread rose in him, though he was not truly surprised. Now that he acknowledged it, he could feel the parasitic invasion, like a disease that had slowly taken root into his soul and grown over the past few months, clawing at his sanity. He took a shaky breath, trembling like a leaf.

"Pitch. What did you do to me?"

* * *

**This arc is a continuation of the ****_You Will Fear Me _****arc and, to some extent, the ****_Going Too Far_**** arc. **


	46. What Happened?

**Part two if the ****_Insidious Fear _****arc.**

* * *

Jamie stroked his sister's hair as he tried to understand what happened tonight. Outside, the blizzard still raged. Sophie had finally fallen asleep curled up in his lap after spending most of the evening crying. Their mother thought she was just sad over having to return form trick-or-treating early. Jamie tried to sound casual as he told her not to worry, that he would comfort his little sister. He just wished there was someone to comfort him, too.

It was obvious that there was something very wrong with Jack, but he had no idea what it was or how he could help. It hurt to see his childhood hero like this. His image of the Guardian as this strong, invincible force of nature had been shaken pretty badly earlier this year, but even then Jack had still kept his cool. Seeing him so frightened was something else. Jack's smile was brittle and his eyes were haunted. That he had actually been frightened of _him _enough to feel the need to defend himself was just baffling. He rubbed his bruised arm, the one he had used to cushion their fall when the winter spirit's wind had thrown them on the ground. Jack needed help and fast.

Jamie sat up straight as he remembered. He may not be able to help the young Guardian, but he knew who could and how to ask. Getting up carefully to avoid waking Sophie up, he set out to find some paper.

* * *

North made his way to his office, easily navigating the increasingly hectic workshop even while eating fruitcake and reading mail. Letters from children started to come with more frequency once Halloween was over. He would be buried in them soon. North didn't mind; he loved reading them. He stopped in his tracks when he got to a short letter written in Jamie's now-familiar, usually neat handwriting. This one looked like it had been written in a hurry, the teen's hand shaking slightly.

_North,_

_I don't know when the blizzard will clear enough for me to go out and post this. I hope it won't be too late. Something is wrong with Jack. He needs help. I don't know what is happening with him. Please come._

_Jamie_

North's eyebrows shot up as he re-read the letter a few times. He hadn't received news from Jack since he left in spring, after recovering enough to cross over to the southern hemisphere to spend the summer there. Or the winter, as it would be for him. He had looked fine then. He said he felt good. North thought that he had come to thrust them enough to not lie about that. Was he wrong? Or was this unrelated?

He would find out soon enough. For now, what mattered was calling the others and finding the winter spirit to provide whatever help he needed. He hurried to the Globe room, pushing yetis and elves out of the way, to send the signal. He then gave orders to have the sleigh prepared for his departure. The others could join him there, if they didn't make it fast enough.

He threw a quick glance at the Globe before leaving the room and stopped abruptly for the second time today. The lights in the town the winter spirit called home, usually among the brightest on the Globe, were going out. He paled considerably before running out. He needed to get to Jack quickly. He had no idea what was happening, but it must be serious if it was affecting the belief of children.

Not really paying attention to his surroundings, he did not see Bunny running in, shivering, until he collided with the Pooka, sending both of them tumbling on the ground, cursing.

"What's going on, North? What's happening this time?"

"It's Jack! He needs help!"

He had expected Bunny to be just as worried, to follow him without questions. He was wrong. The Pooka looked wary.

"Help? Why? What happened?"

"I don't know! Jamie says something's wrong, so something must be wrong!"

"Whoa there, mate. Are you sure it's not just some sort of joke?"

North looked at Bunny like he just grew another head. A joke? What kind of joke would that be? They should be on their way already. North did not understand what made Bunny so mistrustful. And why he looked more than a little hurt.

"Bunny," he said as calmly as he could, "lights are going out in Burgess. Jamie says there is blizzard there."

Bunny's eyes widened as he understood how serious this was.

"The lights are—what are we waiting for, mate?"

North started running again, knowing Bunny would follow this time. He was a little surprised to find Sandy already sitting in the sleigh, his arms crossed over his chest and a question mark over his head. North shoved Jamie's letter in the small man's hands as he sat at the front and took the reigns. Bunny did not even protest to their mode of transportation.

* * *

Tooth had no idea what was going on. She had just been pulled hastily into the sleigh a moment before it went through a magic portal and no one had filled her in yet. She pushed herself up from where North had unceremoniously thrown her to look around in confusion, taking a moment to recognize the house half-buried in snow as Jamie's.

"What happened?"

Bunny frowned as he looked around, his expression unreadable.

"Jack happened, apparently. Something's wrong with the kid, apparently. Jamie called us for help."

Worry clawed at her stomach. Raising her head, she spotted Jamie looking out the window at them. She flew up to him as he pulled the windowpane open. Sophie was there as well, peeking out from behind the bed fearfully. Her expression did not change when Tooth smiled at her. Something was very wrong, here.

"I'm glad you guys came."

Tooth flew inside as the others made their way to the window with varying amount of grace. Sophie perked up when Bunny came in, but she still looked wary. The Pooka carefully approached her and crouched next to her.

"What's wrong, little ankle-biter?"

Sophie's eyes filled with tears and she threw herself at the Easter Bunny, crying into his fur. He rubbed her back, throwing Tooth a helpless look. She swallowed and turned back to Jamie as the teen ran a hand through his hair. The long sleeve of his shirt slipped enough for her to see the bruised skin underneath.

"What happened here? What are those bruises on your arm? Did someone attack you two?"

Jamie tugged the sleeve back down hastily, shuffling in place without looking at any of them. He bit his lips and ran a hand through his hair one more time. North put a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Jamie. You said Jack needed help. Is he hurt? Where is he? Who attacked you?"

"I-I don't think he's hurt. I don't know where he is. I checked the lake this morning, but he's not there. I think he left Burgess."

Sophie was crying harder and Jamie still hadn't answered North's last question. Had it been Pitch? Had Jack gone after the Boogeyman alone? He might have, if he had hurt the kids. Jack could be reckless.

"Jamie," she said in a soothing tone, trying to calm the worried teen, "you need to tell us what happened. Who did this to you?"

Jamie took several shaky breaths before answering.

"Jack did."

The heavy silence that followed was only broken by Sophie's sobs.

* * *

**Hey, I just realized it's been exactly a month since I started this! I'm pretty happy with how much I've managed to write in that time. I'm not sure how long I can keep posting a chapter a day, though. I've been neglecting other stuff.**


	47. Despair

**Part three of the ****_Insidious Fear _****arc.**

* * *

Bunny felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He stared at the sobbing blonde girl in his arms, then at her brother who still wasn't looking at anyone as he rubbed his bruised arm. He could not process the words he had just heard. That Jack could play with his feelings out of a desire for comfort and affection was one thing. But to hurt the kids who trusted him most, who looked up to him like he was some kind of hero? He could not believe Jack would do something like that. It made no sense to him.

Jamie finally noticed the way everyone stared at him in horror. His eyes widened and he waved his hands frantically.

"Oh, no. That really came out wrong. I don't think he meant to do that!"

North firmly placed both hands on the teen's shoulders, bending down to look into his eyes.

"Tell us what happened."

Sophie raised her head from Bunny's chest, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"D-does Jack hate us?"

The girl looked heartbroken. Bunny could not answer her. He wanted nothing more than to find the winter spirit, shake some answers out of him and drag him back here to fix the mess he made. He remembered the still raw pain the kid had caused him, their reconciliation eclipsed by Sophie's tears. Jack would have to learn to deal with people without hurting them, or Bunny would be damned if he let him anywhere near kids again. As guilty as he felt over the young Guardian's emotional scars, he could not let him hurt the ones they lived for. Their one job as Guardians was to protect the children.

"N-no! Soph, he doesn't hate us! He just... he's just scared."

That gave everyone a pause. The Guardians exchanged worried, confused looks. Sophie raised her head again to glance at her brother, her eyes wide and pleading. She wanted to believe him.

"Scared of what, Jamie?" Tooth asked softly.

"I... I don't know. I thought I was just imagining it, at first. But then Soph asked him for one of his snowflakes..."

Sophie shivered and huddled against Bunny, raising her distressed eyes to meet his.

"The snowflakes are usually fun. This one wasn't. It was scary."

This couldn't be good. North took a shocked step back, letting go of Jamie.

"Jack... he... he lost his center."

"But how?" Tooth asked in a breath. "What happened to him?"

North planted his gaze in Bunny's. He crossed his arms and stared down at him.

"Something happened between you, yes? What was it?"

"W-what? Wait, you think that this is my fault? Look, we had a little disagreement, but I don't think it would... I don't think..."

He wasn't sure what he thought. The boy had abandonment issues and Bunny had thrown him out in anger. Could it have affected him that much? Enough for him to lose sight of who he was, of what made him Jack Frost? Little Sophie was staring at him with eyes full of worry. He may have caused what happened to her and her brother. Bunny swallowed.

"What is it, Sandy?" North asked suddenly, turning to the short man tugging at his sleeve.

Two shapes appeared in the sand above Sandy's head. The first was a very familiar broken staff. The second, the equally familiar features of the Boogeyman. North scratched his beard.

"What? You think Pitch broke Jack's staff again?"

Jamie threw him a shocked stare. He hadn't been aware of what exactly happened in the spring, obviously. Bunny ignored him for now. He thought he knew what Sandy meant. And he felt awful at how relieved it made him. At how much he wished it was true. He did not want to be the one responsible for this.

"You think Pitch did something to Jack when he broke the staff?"

Sandy nodded.

"Fear has always been his weapon..." Tooth trailed off.

"Wait, Pitch... that's the Boogeyman, right? The one you guys fought that time... I remember now. Why was it all fuzzy before? More like a half-forgotten nightmare than a memory..."

Bunny's heart sank. He knew why Jamie had forgotten and why he remembered now. He was afraid of the Boogeyman once more. They had to find their frightened little winter spirit and fix this.

* * *

Jack would like to tell himself that he tried everything, but he knew it would be a lie. He made a half-hearted attempt at willing the darkness away from the staff. It had been more than a little pathetic. As Cupid had told him, his heart was full of fear. He could draw no strength from it. Fear could not fight the darkness. It only helped it spread.

The blizzard had been raging for over a day, now, and he was not even trying to stop it. He just sat there despondently, staring at the corrupted staff in anguish. He needed to leave, he knew. This storm was hardly subtle. He could not let the others find him. After what he had done to Jamie and Sophie, he couldn't let anyone near him again. He could not stand the thought of hurting someone else. The memory haunted him. Sophie's fear, Jamie's questions...He would go to Antarctica and spend the rest of his existence there, alone with the fear. This was the only thing he could do. Stay where he would hurt no one until the darkness consumed him. And then...

He swallowed hard. He had been turning this question in his head for the past day. What then? He was terrified of what he could potentially do, once the fear overcame him, once the darkness swallowed him. He could imagine himself lashing out at the world, spreading cold and desolation and terror. This must be what Pitch was aiming for, why he did this to him. His only comfort was that the Guardians would stop him. He wished they never saw what he could become, but if it came down to it, he wanted them to stop him.

Or maybe he should do something himself before it was too late. To make sure he could never harm anyone again...

"I can't even begin to tell you how pleased I am to see you like this, Jack."

The smooth, sinister voice caused a spike of fear and anger within him. He tried to only let the latter show as he turn to glare at the black-clad man.

"Pitch."

The Boogeyman bared his teeth in an ominous grin.

"Hello, Jack. How do you like my little gift?"

* * *

**I thought this arc would only be three parts, but I'm taking forever to get to the end. I'm about halfway done, here.**

**On a totally unrelated note, I'm preparing to spend the week-end doing research and concept art for a personal project set in an apocalyptic setting and I can't help but wonder how the Guardians would survive an apocalypse. If nightmares were enough to shake the beliefs of children, I guess they wouldn't fare well. On the other hand, they would be needed more than ever. Just a thought and not one I'm planning to explore in this little drabble collection. If someone want write that, go right ahead. **


	48. No More Strenght

**Part four of the ****_Insidious Fear _****arc. **

* * *

Anger came easily and Jack drew on it to fight off the apathy and terror filling him. He jumped to his feet, spun to face Pitch and channeled all of that anger through the tainted staff. Sharp ice crystals flew at the Nightmare King, accompanied by pure, cold energy. The wave of power kicked freshly fallen snow into the air, obscuring his vision. When it cleared, jagged ice spears dotted the landscape with faint black tendrils running through them. Pitch was nowhere in sight.

"Now, now, Jack," the Boogeyman said from behind him. "Are you sure you want to do this? My offer to join me still stands."

Jack turned around and stared at him in disbelief.

"Join you? Are you kidding me? After what you did to me? What _did _you do to me?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just planted a little seed of fear in that broken staff of yours. It would have been harmless without fertile ground to grow in. Quite insecure, aren't you?"

Jack stared numbly at the staff, the desire to fight slowly bleeding out of him. This was his fault after all. If he had been stronger...

"The others are not happy with you, Jack. Children in Burgess are afraid, after the blizzard. Many saw you that night. They'll likely not see you again. And what you did to poor Jamie and little Sophie..."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut. The scene replayed in his mind; Sophie's betrayed expression, Jamie's confusion, their screams when he had attacked them... He started trembling. He clutched the staff to his chest, but it brought him no comfort. It was the source of this disaster, after all. _No. I'm the source of this disaster. The staff is just a conduit. I let this seed grow inside me. I'm the only one to blame._

"I was... scared."

"Of course you were scared. You are going to remain scared unless you learn to embrace the darkness. It doesn't have to hurt, Jack."

"I'm not going to join you."

His voice shook so much he could barely convince himself. Pitch smiled at him and slowly walked closer. Jack took several panicked steps back.

"And what will you do, then? The Guardians won't have you back. Not after what you did. They're on their way even now to deal with you. You betrayed them, Jack. Again. They're not going to ever trust you again."

"I'll just wait for them here. They can... deal with me."

Pitch kept coming closer. Jack tried to stand his ground.

"You're not going to go down without a fight, even if you want to. You'll attack them. You'll hurt them. Like you hurt Jamie and Sophie. Even if they defeat you, they won't give you the mercy of ending your existence. They're too... good for that. They'll leave you alone and helpless. They might break your precious little staff, too, now that they know that's effective. Don't think it'll help with the darkness and the fear. They're inside you."

Tears fell from his eyes and froze on his cheeks. Pitch placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. Jack didn't have the energy to try to fight him off. He could barely remain standing. He wondered briefly why he was not reacting to Pitch with panic like he had with Jamie. Why he was not instinctively attacking him. Maybe because he genuinely did not think Pitch was here to hurt him. He didn't need to. Jack was doing a good enough job at that on his own.

"W-what... what can I do?"

"Embrace it, Jack. Turn the fear to rage. What do you owe the world? What do you owe the Guardians? They abandoned you for so long, only bothering with you because you could be of use to them. Join me, Jack. You won't be alone. You don't want to be alone."

"No..."

He wasn't sure if he was refusing to help Pitch, or agreeing that he did not want to be alone. The Nightmare King pulled him against his chest, rubbing his back as if he was a frightened child. He was.

"You can't go back to them. It's too late for that. I'm the only one who will still have you."

"I hate you so much..."

He wished he sounded angry instead of terrified. He wanted to push the man away, but his fingers curled up in the black fabric covering his chest instead. He never hated himself more than now, as he found himself sobbing in the Boogeyman's arms. It was pathetic and he couldn't stop. Jack rested his head on Pitch's shoulder as grey fingers stroked his hair until the sobs stopped and he just didn't have the energy to think. For all of two seconds, he wasn't afraid.

"What's going on here?"

Bunny's angry voice ripped him out of his little fantasy world where he was pretending everything was fine. The fear returned with a vengeance. There would be no explaining this one away, in the unlikely event that explanations was what they came here for. He had betrayed them before and now they found him like this? Jack did not dare turn to face them. He did not want to see the look on their face.

"Bunny, calm down."

North sounded like he was barely restraining his anger himself. Pitch tightened his hold on him. Jack did not fool himself into thinking it was a protective gesture. He made an effective shield.

"Jack... what's going on?"

Tooth's voice was filled with confusion. Jack did not know what to answer. He doubted he could put this in words they would understand. Even if he could, they had no reason to believe him.

"Frostbite," Bunny said, a bit more calmly, "when I told you to just ask if you needed a hug, I didn't mean ask Pitch."

The Pooka's use of the nickname almost made him believe for a moment that he didn't hate him. Almost. He turned a little to face them and flinched when he saw they were all obviously ready to fight.

"I don't need to be told to know when our little winter spirit needs comfort, rabbit."

Bunny clenched his boomerang. North raised his swords with a glare and took a threatening step in their direction.

"Let Jack go, Pitch or I swear I'll—"

He didn't have time to finish. Panicking at their reactions, Jack whipped his staff in front of him and let out a wave of raw power. The Guardians' eyes widened as they threw themselves out of the way. Pitch did let go, disappearing from sight. Jack was left alone to face his fellow Guardians as they warily got back to their feet, staring at him. The storm around them increased in intensity. He raised his corrupted staff defensively in front of him.

"Go away! Leave me alone."

His voice was steady for once as he felt a new wave of power rise in him. Pitch was right, he wasn't going to go down without a fight even if he wanted to. He wasn't sure he wanted to.


	49. A Candle In The Dark

**Part five of the ****_Insidious Fear _****arc. **

* * *

North stared at Jack in numb shock. This was going as badly as it possibly could. The young Guardian was past listening, his eyes filled with anger and pain. They had to get through to him, somehow.

"Jack, boy, please listen. We're here to help you."

It was obvious the boy didn't believe a word he was saying. The staff glowed with power and not its usual light blue color, either. He pointed it at North. Against his better judgment and ignoring every instinct telling him he was being a fool, the large man dropped his swords in the snow. Pitch was gone and there was no enemy left to fight. That gave Jack a pause. He lowered the staff slightly, hesitation entering his eyes. Tooth tried talking to him next.

"Jack, I know you're confused, but please try to remember. We're not your enemies."

"I remember. I remember what it's like to be alone for so long. I remember that you only bothered with me because the Man in the Moon told you to. I don't want to be alone again."

"You won't be alone! We're here for you now. Jack, I'm sorry—"

"Tooth, watch out!"

Tooth dove out of the way as Jack sent another blast of energy at her. Bunny took a step forward.

"Listen, Jack—"

He didn't get any farther than that before having to jump aside as well. This was getting them nowhere and someone would soon get hurt. North took a deep breath.

"Change of plan. We get him back to Pole one way of another and figure something out there. Sandy?"

Sandy bounced a ball of Dreamsand in his hand with a nod. They'd have to do things the hard way. He just hoped that it wouldn't ruin their chances of fixing this.

* * *

Jack flew out of the way of one more ball of golden sand. He made sure to stay high, out of the reach of Bunny and North. At least he only had Tooth and Sandy to worry about and all Sandy was doing was throwing Dreamsand at him. As if he was only interested in sending him off to dreamland. The thought stayed in his mind, like the flame of a candle trying to push away the oppressive darkness around it. It was failing.

He took a sudden plunge down as Tooth tried to tackle him, letting her fly harmlessly over him. He kept expecting a boomerang or explosive egg to get thrown at him, as a quick glance down showed him Bunny was holding both, but they weren't coming. The Pooka must not want to hit one of the others. He missed several chances to catch him when he was farther off, though. As if he was hesitating to use his weapons. North had yet to pick up his sword again, opting instead to just run after them. Maybe he wanted to catch Tooth or Sandy if they fell. He should, the ground was full of jagged ice spikes. But they were taller than North, so there was little he could do. The whole scene was wrong to him. Confusion threatened to overcome the anger filling him. The candle in his mind burned a little more brightly.

The fear was just a memory by now. He had done exactly what Pitch said and embraced the darkness clawing at his mind. He felt much better now. Much stronger. He wasn't a frightened little boy anymore. He was... _What am I becoming? _The thought gave him a pause and that pause gave Tooth the opportunity to grab him tightly, holding his arms against his side.

"Sandy, now!"

Panic overcame him once more even as the anger had slowly started to fade. He moved his staff just enough to send a blast of cold at Tooth's delicate gossamer wings. The fairy's scream as she was thrown off him ripped through the darkness, freezing him in place long enough for Sandy to throw his Dreamsand at him. The ball went wide as the little man dove after Tooth to catch her before she hit the spikes. Jack stayed in place, watching as Sandy caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. His eyes caught Bunny's. The Pooka still wasn't throwing anything at him.

"Get down here, Snowflake."

His voice was soft and soothing and Jack found himself slowly floating back down, landing a good distance from the others. Tooth was on her feet, leaning heavily on Sandy. He couldn't move his eyes from the tears in her wings. He had done that. Just like he had hurt Jamie and Sophie. The darkness receded from his mind a bit more. They were watching him warily, but not angrily. He could see that now. Maybe they hadn't been lying. Maybe they did want to help, even after what he did. Why should he trust Pitch more than he trusted them? Bunny took a careful step toward him. Jack clutched his staff against his chest, but did not attack. Yet. He didn't know how long his temporary sanity would last.

"Snowflake. Will you come back with us? To the Pole? We'll fix this, I swear we will."

"No..."

"Jack..." Tooth said in a pained voice.

"No. I-I want to, but I can't. I-it won't let me."

He glared down at the staff in his hands as if it was its fault. The darkness may have come from there, but it filled him now and he did not see how he could get rid of it. Soon, it would take his sanity away and he would attack the people he cared for again. He just wished there was anything he could do to make sure...

His eyes widened when the idea hit him. There was something he could do. He could hardly believe he had not thought about it before. He raised the staff up to take a closer look, staring at the black veined ice that covered it, the ice that hadn't been there the previous two times this had been done. It would make this harder. He knew the flimsy looking staff could take a lot when he held it. Maybe he should ask one of the others to do this, but he did not want to force them to do something like that. And he wasn't sure the darkness would let him hand over the staff, or he would have already.

"Snowflake? What's up with you, mate?"

Jack didn't answer. They would see soon enough. Grabbing the staff with both hands in front of him and not giving himself time to reconsider, he brought it down quickly on his knee, attempting to snap it in half. He had expected the pain, but this time it did not stop, it did not fade to a dull ache in his soul as the staff was broken in two. It hadn't snapped all the way through. Waves of power escaped the damaged staff, ripping at his clothes and at the skin underneath. He could not see anything. Tears froze his eyelashes together. He thought he heard the others calling his name, but he wasn't sure. He could not hear much over the sound of his own screams.

He kept pulling at both ends of the staff, trying to break it in two and feeling as if he was trying to rip himself apart. He hoped that, if he passed out before it was done, someone would finish the job. But he could not count on that. He pulled harder until, with a final cracking noise, the pain stopped. The silence was deafening as he let the world fade away around him.

* * *

Bunny tentatively got up from where he was lying on the ground when the waves of cold stopped blowing above him. It took a moment before he realized the screams had stopped. He could still hear them. He didn't know if he would ever stop hearing them.

The boy laid facedown in the snow, one half of his broken staff held loosely in each hand. A quick glance around told him the others were getting up as well. North jumped to his feet and did not waste time in running up to the fallen Guardian. Bunny bounded after him, leaving Sandy to help the injured Tooth. He skidded to a halt next to North. He had turned the young Guardian on his back and was currently checking for a pulse. The boy laid there limply, his clothes ripped and stained with blood. If Bunny had ever thought he looked dead when he slept, it was nothing compared to now. He held his breath until North nodded, confirming he still lived. The Guardian of Wonder picked Jack up and cradled him against his chest. Bunny saw tears fall on his cheeks. He wasn't sure he wasn't crying himself.

"Oh, Jack..." Tooth breathed out when she joined them.

Bunny placed a furry hand on North's shoulder.

"Let's take him to the Pole, mate. This mess isn't over yet."

* * *

**I swear there's only one more part to this arc, plus a few related drabbles (I have two of those planned, including something fluffy). The main arc should be wrapped up next chapter, which may not be tomorrow as I need to call someone to do something about the water backing up from the sink. I'm tired of emptying it with a bucket. **


	50. Recovery

**Final part of the ****_Insidious Fear _****arc.**

* * *

Tooth bit her lip helplessly as North placed Jack down on the bed in his own room at the Pole. The boy had yet to wake up. They had cleaned up his wounds, relieved that none of them were more than scratches. With the ripped, bloody clothes they had looked much worse. At least that was one good thing.

North had deemed Jack's only spare outfit to be unsuitable to sleep in, so he put him in one of his own shirt, a white one that covered most of the young Guardian's legs and threatened to fall off if he moved to much. But Jack wasn't moving at all. She pulled the covers up to his chin, praying to the Moon that he would wake soon and at the same time fearing what would happen when he did. The staff may be broken, but that wouldn't solve the issue, they knew. They could still feel the darkness residing in him and in the broken staff. But it would make it easier to talk to him, when he could not just attack them in anger. Maybe he would listen. And maybe they could do something about the source of this corruption.

Bunny was holding both halves of the shepherd's crook, frowning in concentration. He had been this way for a while, but he finally looked up to stare at the child in the bed.

"It's too much white," he said.

"This is not painting, Bunny. This is Jack," North answered.

"Did you find what was wrong with it, Bunny?" she interrupted before they could get into an argument about whether or not North should have chosen a differently colored shirt. They had more important things to worry about.

"Aye. It's... some sort of dark shard. It's really small but it... grew. I would have missed it if I hadn't been following the tendrils back to their source. I don't know how it's affecting Jack, I don't really understand his link to the staff too well."

"It is conduit," North said. "It goes both ways."

"But can you pull the shard out?"

"Nothing's impossible, mate. But I might need some help."

A quiet moan interrupted the conversation. They all turned to Jack, waiting expectantly as his eyes fluttered open. Bunny placed both halves of the staff down on the bedside table. Sandy jumped on the chair to see the figure on the bed. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. Jack's eyes were unfocused and confused at first. He looked around the room without really seeing them.

"Jack, boy, how are you feeling?" North asked, bending over the bed a little to take a closer look.

Jack's gaze focused on him, his eyes going wide as he saw the large man too close to him. He scrambled away from him and would have fallen off the bed had Bunny not caught him and held him in place. Sandy, still standing on the chair, grabbed North's belt and tugged on it, pulling him backward a little. Jack didn't look any less scared. He struggled in Bunny's grip, trying to get away. Frost spread from his fingers as he gripped the fur of Bunny's arm to pull it off him, but he could not manage more than that. Tooth sighed. She had been hoping things would be easier, but the child was back to being terrified. At least he wasn't angry.

"Hey, calm down Snowflake. We're here to help, remember? Stop squirming so much, you're losing that... dress you're wearing."

"Not dress. Nightshirt," North rectified.

Startled confusion momentarily replaced the panic as Jack looked down at the oversized shirt falling off his shoulders. Taking advantage of the respite, Bunny readjusted his hold with one arm and slid the white fabric back in place with the other. Tooth flew up to them, moving slowly to avoid startling the winter spirit. His eyes widened again when he saw her and he tried to squirm backward again. Bunny held him in place, one furry hand rubbing the boy's arm soothingly. Tooth smiled at him reassuringly, holding a hand up toward him but not touching him yet.

"It's alright, Jack, there's no reason to be scared. Please let me help you remember," she said softly, placing her thumb on his forehead while he squeezed his eyes shut.

Tooth did not always need the teeth to help children remember their most precious memories. They allowed her to do it from the Tooth Palace and they preserved memories so that, even if the child forgot, they still existed somewhere. It was all too common for children to forget even the sweetest of memory. But when the child was in front of her and needed help pushing dark thoughts away, she could help directly. Jack had not forgotten the warm, happy times he had lived since becoming a Guardian. He just needed a bit of help recalling them. So Tooth did that, calling those precious memories to the forefront of his mind, pushing the darkness away.

Her smile brightened when Jack relaxed in Bunny's arms. When he opened his eyes again, he looked exhausted but a lot more like the Jack they knew. He even gave her a tired little smile. The tension in the room fell as North clapped his hands with a cheer and everyone smiled in relief. Bunny held the boy a bit tighter.

"Thanks..." Jack whispered.

"We're going to try to pull out the source of the darkness from your staff, Frostbite. Might be better if you took a nap until then. Sandy?"

Sandy floated from the chair to the bed, holding up a pinch of Dreamsand. He looked at Jack as if asking for his permission. Jack tensed briefly, but nodded. He let the golden sand drift into his eyes, his whole body relaxing as he fell asleep. Bunny placed him back at the center of the bed, pulling the covers back up to his chin. There was a little smile on Jack's face as golden shapes formed over his head. Tooth recognized herself and the others in them, holding the boy in a warm embrace.

"Bunny! You and me, we take staff and fight off that darkness with good dose of wonder and hope," North exclaimed in a loud whisper. "Sandy, Tooth, you stay with him. Take good care of him until we're done."

Tooth nodded as North picked up the broken staff from where Bunny had left it and dragged the Pooka away. Sandy sat on the bed and watched the sleeping boy. It was an uneventful job, at first, but that didn't last. Much to their horror, the little golden figures turned away from the child they had been comforting. The sand turned black as the dream became a nightmare, corrupted by the darkness still filling him. Jack curled up on his side in his sleep, his eyebrows furrowed.

Sandy jumped to his feet and touched the sand, returning it to its golden color. The figures returned to their places around the child. Jack calmed, but only a little. The figures might be back, but they had still turned away. Tooth stroked his hair soothingly, praying that the others would succeed and fast. Praying that it would be enough.

* * *

Even in the warmth of the dream, the darkness still tried to claw at Jack's mind. It was not quite as focussed, with its connection to the seed in his staff damaged, but it was still there and still strong. It tried to rip away the comforting dream scenes he was hiding into. Sometimes, it succeeded. But the dream always came back. Someone was there to make sure it did. Jack hanged on to that thought, using it as a lifeline to keep himself from drowning in the darkness. A few times he woke up with a start. Tooth was always there to place her thumb back on his forehead and let the memories come back to him until he calmed. It was always a little easier after that. The dream seemed more real when he fell asleep remembering how much people cared now. But the darkness always returned. There was something else, though. He could barely feel it, but there was a touch of hope and wonder in a remote part of his mind, where Pitch had hidden away the seed of this corruption.

Jack had been dreaming of a giant snowball fight with the kids in Burgess when he felt something change. It was distant, but he felt a surge of hope and wonder briefly overwhelm the fear through the damaged connection he still had with the staff. The darkness... changed, after that. It grew even more aimless. It pushed at the golden dream unevenly, rather than making a concerted effort to overwhelm it. As if its roots had been pulled off. All that remained were tendrils of darkness floating in his mind without an anchor. Jack woke up again when he realized what must have happened. When Tooth raised her hand again, he shook his head and smiled widely. The two Guardians watching over him understood and smiled back, relieved.

The door burst open as North walked in, holding both halves of the staff proudly in front of him, Bunny walking in next with a grin. It looked no different then it had been before, but Jack could feel that it was. He smiled and reached out to take it. North let him have it and Jack hurriedly held both piece together, willing it to repair itself. Nothing happened. His temporary rush of excitement bled away, leaving him drained and still so exhausted. He sighed, letting himself fall back against the pillow. The darkness used his failure to insinuate itself back into his mind. It should have been easy to fight off, but Jack wasn't even sure he could. Bunny placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Take it easy, Frostbite. You're barely even awake. Concentrate on recovering for now; you can mend the staff later."

"It's... still there, you know. It's not as strong and I think it's not growing anymore, but I... feel too weak to fight it."

He could not look at them as he admitted this. After all they did to help, he could not even do his part. The darkness reached farther into his mind, until he felt Tooth's thumb on his forehead once more, pushing it away with memories of happier times. She smiled at him.

"It's alright, Jack. We'll be your strength."

Sandy nodded and held up a new pinch of golden sand. Jack smiled at all of them before sleep took him once more.

"Thank you... for everything."

The dark tendrils were pushed even further away as he fell into the golden dream. The fight may not be quite won yet, but it would be soon. That certainty helped keep the nightmares at bay. The smile did not leave his face as he dreamed.

* * *

**Not sure everything made sense here; I am really in need of more sleep. I hope that's a satisfying end to this arc. I still have two drabbles to write about the aftermath of it, but the main part is over.**

**This is chapter 50. I can't believe I made it this far. I started this expecting that maybe ten people would care enough to read it, so the amount of support and feedback I've been getting is really unexpected. Thank you, guys! I love you, you keep me going.**


	51. Once Upon A Time

**You guys came really close to not getting a chapter either today or yesterday. My old computer that I had been trying to keep alive for weeks finally died, right after I posted the previous chapter. I don't think I would have had the motivation to rewrite it if I had lost it. Can you believe that the first thing I thought about was that I wouldn't be able to post a chapter today? There's no way I'm paying to have that old thing repaired, so I braved the freezing cold Canadian winter and went downtown, bought a new one and dragged it back home (literally, it got really heavy after a while. It's not a laptop). Since I'm not really one to procrastinate for things like that (I procrastinate on a lot of things, but not having a working computer) I was reading your wonderful reviews two hours after my old computer crashed. So you get a chapter today.**

**This comes after ****_Recovery._**

* * *

Jack opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of his room at the Pole. He sighed. He had been here for a while, now, and he was getting sick of waking up to that same ceiling everyday. He wasn't used to that. Jack Frost was a free spirit and he needed to roam the world.

"Jack, boy, how are you feeling?" North boomed from next to the bed.

The Guardian of Wonder was the only other in the room. Tooth and Sandy, he remembered, had needed to return to their duties as Guardians. They had stayed as long as he had been fighting the darkness in his mind, but now all he needed was rest. He had slept little in the last few months and the past days had been spent struggling even when in his dreams. The darkness was gone now, but his body still needed to recover. The two Guardians needed to go, but they promised to visit often. Sandy would return every night to give him sweet dreams.

"I'm better."

He wondered where Bunny was. He had still been there when he fell asleep. He tried not to be disappointed. Surely the Pooka had better things to do than watch over a sleeping kid. Jack didn't exactly need them now. North must have been able to see what he was thinking, because he answered his silent question.

"Bunny will be back soon. He had to make small trip to Warrens to see to things there and he wanted to stop by Burgess."

"Burgess? Why Burgess?"

"To fill in Jamie and Sophie, of course. They must have wondered."

Jack gave the other Guardian a taunt smile. Of course they must have wondered. Who wouldn't wonder why a man who had sworn to protect children would attack them? They had considered him a friend. He hid his hands under the covers so North wouldn't see them shake, while his brain tried to come up with some sort of casual answer. He didn't need to, as a hesitant knock on the door saved him from having to say anything.

"Just a moment," North told him, getting up.

The visitor turned out to be a yeti waving some toy that Jack could not really see from where he was. He and North had a small argument over whether or not it needed glitter before the yeti left, grumbling, and the Guardian took his place on back on the chair. He grabbed a platter of cookies on the nightstand and offered them to Jack with a smile.

"Cookies? I brought you milk, too."

Jack smiled back a little shakily and pushed himself on one elbow, attempting to sit. North quickly stood to help him, pulling him up and adjusting the pillows so he could lean back on them. He set the plate in Jack's lap before sitting back down. The winter spirit had barely put one of them in his mouth that a new knock on the door disturbed them. With a sigh and an apologetic smile, North stood again.

Jack did not really know what the issue was this time, but what he did know was that he was keeping North here when he was obviously needed elsewhere. Christmas was getting nearer and North had needed to leave the workshop to find him, drag him back here and nurse him back to health. And he was still willing to keep him company, no matter how busy he was. He bit his lip nervously as North came back, looking troubled.

"You... you should go help them. It's a busy time. They need you."

"Nonsense! They can handle things. You need me."

Jack gave him the most convincing reassuring smile he could manage.

"I'm fine. I can handle being alone. You don't need to stay."

"Jack, I'm not leaving you—"

"North. I'll feel better knowing I'm not making you waste your time this close to Christmas. Really. I'll shout if I need something. There plenty of elves and yetis around, someone should hear."

North frowned and placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"You are never waste of time, Jack. But if it make you feel better, I'll go. For now. Bunny should be back soon."

Jack smiled in relief when North left. He had caused the others enough troubles already, he did not need to keep them from doing their work now. He finished the cookies in silence, the Wind his only company. He placed the plate back on the nightstand before fumbling with the glass of milk. His movements were still awkward due to the exhaustion and he spilled quite a bit on himself, but he managed to drain the glass. He settled back on his pillows, watching the ceiling.

He knew that the fear clawing at his mind this time was all his own. Bunny's visit to Burgess had him worried. How would the kids react? He could still see the scene on that Halloween evening replaying in his eyes if he closed his eyes. He tried not to close his eyes, even when he started to be sleepy again. He had slept enough lately, he decided.

He was getting sore and restless from spending so much time in bed. He wanted to get up and walk around a little, but he knew he would need help if he did not want to end up sprawled on the floor. North wouldn't trust him to stay alone if he found him like that. He would ask someone later.

"Jack, boy, are you busy?" North shouted, shoving the door open.

Jack threw him a disbelieving stare. How busy did he look? He shook his head, wondering what this was about. North proudly held up a colorful book showing a girl in a sparkly dress with an equally sparkly pony. Jack frowned, worried that the snow blowing in from the open window would damage it.

"I need your help to test this. It is new book, made so it doesn't get damaged in bad weather, so children can read outside. Like snow, here. This is perfect place to try."

Jack let one of his increasingly rare real smile grace his lips. He did not doubt that North could have just thrown the thing in a bucket of water. He likely had, actually. But he played his game and nodded solemnly.

"I'd be happy to help, North."

The Guardian of Wonder smiled brightly and handed the book out to him. Jack hugged it to his chest gratefully, the smile not leaving his lips. North winked and ruffled his hair before leaving again. Jack opened the book and gazed at the first page, glad to have something lighthearted to distract him.

But after a few minutes spent staring at that first page, re-reading the same line again and again, he realized that it was not enough. His worries over the situation in Burgess made it hard to focus on the book in his hands and his tired eyes were not making this any easier. With a sigh, he put the open book face down on his chest and stared at the ceiling some more.

"Why are you looking so down, Frostbite?"

Jack's mood brightened at the familiar voice. Bunny stood in the doorway, a basket in his hand.

"Bunny!" he said, smiling at the Guardian of Hope.

Bunny closed the door behind him to avoid letting too much warmth in, shivering as he walked to the bed. He set his basket down on the empty plate of cookies, sitting in the chair North had vacated.

"I brought you chocolates."

"Thanks, Bunny."

His good mood faded somewhat when he remembered what Bunny had been doing while he was away. He bit his lip nervously, hesitant to ask but to curious not to.

"What... what did they say?"

"They said they're glad you're recovering. They're happy you're safe."

"They're... not angry? They're not... afraid I could hurt them again?"

"No, Snowflake. Sophie was worried you hated her, before she learned what happened. Now she's just happy she was wrong. Jamie never believed you meant to hurt them. A good friend you have there. You should go see them, when you're better."

Jack let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding as a weight lifted off his chest. He had not ruined everything with the kids, after all. He would visit, as soon as he could. He would go apologize to them. They deserved that.

A much more physical weight was lifted of his chest a moment later as Bunny picked up the book he had forgotten all about. In his still weakened state, he was not fast enough to snatch it away before the Pooka had a chance to take a good look.

"_The Princess and the Magic Pony_? Really? You got strange tastes in literature there."

Jack wished he could have disappeared. He almost lifted the covers up over his head to hide his embarrassment.

"I-it's just light reading, alright? It passes time."

"Then why weren't you reading it?"

"I... my eyes were tired."

It wasn't really a lie. His eyes really were tired, making it hard to read even the large prints on the book. Bunny slowly flipped the pages, starting from the end. Jack had to keep himself from telling him that he shouldn't look at the end first. He tried to act like he did not care, like he was not utterly embarrassed by this. Bunny cleared his throat.

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of—"

"Alright, alright, you don't have to mock me."

"I'm not mocking you, Snowflakes. I'm reading you a bedtime story. Now stop talking."

Bunny started over, reading the magical tale of the princess in her magical land, with her magical pony, without ever letting a hint of mockery enter his voice. Jack stared for a moment before a large grin stretched his lips. He settled more comfortably on his pillow, grabbed a handful of chocolates and listened as the Easter Bunny read. He could not remember anyone ever reading him a bedtime story.

* * *

**Next chapter should have Jack returning to Burgess to see the kids. After that, I'm pretty much done with this arc.**


	52. Waiting For Winter

**This takes place after ****_Once Upon A Time._**

* * *

"Jamie, when is Jack going to come back? I want to go ice skating."

"I don't know, Soph. Bunny said he needed to rest."

"But... he's going to visit when he's better, right? The Easter Bunny said he wasn't scared of us anymore."

"I'm sure he will, but give him time, okay?"

Sophie sighed and went back to her room, leaving Jamie to pretend he was doing homework. His little sister had been eager for the Guardian to return ever since they had learn that he had been cured of whatever madness was afflicting him. She had all but forgotten what happened when they last saw him. Sophie was not one to dwell on things once she decided to push them out of her mind.

Jamie just hoped that Jack could take a page out of his sister's book and push this all behind. He doubted it would be that easy, though. He would most likely feel bad about what he did for a long time and want to apologize even if it wasn't really his fault. It's what Jamie would do, in his place.

A flash of white from the window caught his attention. He whipped his head around, a huge smile stretching his lips when he saw the falling snow. It didn't necessarily mean that Jack Frost was in town, but it was still November and it looked like Jack's kind of snow from here. He was getting familiar with that.

He stood up to run out of his room and get Sophie, only to get the door slammed into his face when the blonde girl entered in a hurry. Jamie stumbled backward, rubbing his nose and glaring at his sister.

"Oops. Sorry, Jamie. But it's snowing! We need to go look for Jack!"

She grabbed his wrist before he could protest, dragging him to get their coats and pushing him out before he had time to zip it up. Once he saw the snow up close, he became even more certain that it was Jack's doing. It was the kind of sticky snow that was perfect to make snowballs or build a snowman. Sophie kept dragging him away from the house until they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

Jack stood in a corner of the front yard, holding his staff behind his back and staring down at his feet. He kicked lightly at the snow with a bare foot before glancing at them. He averted his eyes after making brief eye contact.

"Hey... how's it going?"

Jamie wanted to run up to him and hug him until he started to smile, but Sophie beat him to it. She threw her arms around the Guardian and buried her nose in his stomach, ignoring the way he tensed before chuckling and hugging her back. He threw a hesitant smile Jamie's way. He smiled back, joining them.

"How are you feeling?"

"I think I asked first. But I'm fine. All better, now."

"That's good to know! We're doing great, too. We were worried, but now you're here."

That brought him a startled look. Sophie nodded emphatically, giving him a huge grin. He smiled at them both, that shy little smile he had seen a lot years ago and that he had not recognized for what it was then. It was the smile of someone not really used to receiving affection and who didn't know how to properly respond to it. He hadn't seen that smile often, lately.

The smile was gone after a moment as Jack averted his eyes once more. He took a step back, out of Sophie's grip and bit his lip.

"Look, guys... I'm sorry... for what I did on Halloween. I-I can't believe I hurt you two and—"

"Jack, it's alright. It wasn't your fault. It was... Pitch, right?"

Jack winced. The Guardians all seemed bothered that he had remembered that name. It had faded from his memory in the years since they had defeated the Boogeyman, but recent events had helped him remember. Jack shook his head.

"It doesn't matter what Pitch did. I'm a Guardian and my one job as a Guardian is to protect the children. And I failed. I hurt you instead. There's no excuses for that."

It was Jamie's turn to bite his lip. He knew that this was something really important to Jack. He took his job as a Guardian very seriously. He would not let them just dismiss the whole thing. Sophie looked at him, her big green eyes pleading him to fix this so they could go have fun. He sighed.

"Alright. We accept your apology. If you want to make it up to us, you can freeze the lake so we can go ice skating."

"Oh, yes! Please! Can we go ice skating right now?"

Jack blinked at them both before a large and very real smile broke on his face. He laughed, half relieved, half amused, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Alright. Deal. Go grab your skates and join me at the lake, it'll be ready."

He turned to leave, but Sophie grabbed his sleeve. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Can I have a snowflake, now? A real one?"

Jack's eyes widened and he hesitated a moment before nodding. With a slightly shaky smile, he sent one of his special snowflakes her way, letting it land on her nose. Sophie's expression brightened to one of pure joy as the magic took effect. Jamie started to believe that maybe things could go back to normal when he saw her expression be mirrored on Jack's face.

* * *

**That's the last thing I had planned for this arc, but I might possibly add to it later.**


	53. A Fateful Gift

**Hey, look! Is that a chapter? I do believe that it is. I'll write a longer AN at the end, there's just one thing I want to say right now. Though I know that Pippa isn't actually Jack's sister's name, it's the one I used before, so I'll stick to it. So in this story, both Jack's sister and Jamie's friend are called Pippa. I may or may not do something with that later. **

* * *

Jack tore at the strings holding the box closed, eager to see what hid inside. Pippa stared at it with her eyes wide, holding her new rag doll close to her chest. It had not been easy for him to patiently help the toddler with her own gift while his own waited for him. He made sure to be extra nice this year, hoping to see a gift for him under the tree. Or this month, at least. He was so excited when he spotted the box bearing letters he couldn't quite read but recognized as his name all the same. He wasn't always nice enough for a present.

But Pippa seemed to bring out the best in him. He had taken care of his new little sister all year, helping her take her first steps and playing with her while their parents where busy. The least he could do was to help her some more, if he wanted to really deserve his present. He couldn't just be nice all year, then be mean for Christmas. Not unless he wanted to be back on the naughty list. Which he didn't. And seeing Pippa's huge smile as she lifted the doll out of the box was a gift more precious than anything that Santa could put in a box.

Now that Pippa was happily drooling on her doll's yellow woollen hair, though, curiosity took over. He would have torn the strings with his teeth if he thought it would actually be faster. With a triumphant cheer, he tossed them aside and lifted the box's cover, peering inside.

He smile faded somewhat when he saw what looked at first like a pair of shoes. It was something he would normally be happy to get, shoes being something of a luxury his parents couldn't really afford, but today he had been hoping for something he could have fun with. Like a wooden train or a toy sword. Not shoes.

It was only when the candlelight reflected on something shiny inside the box that he realized what his present really was. Gingerly picking them up by the laces, he lifted them up with wide eyes to inspect them. A large grin split his face.

"Skates! Look, Pip, I got skates!"

He had often watched in envy as other children skated upon the nearby lake in winter. It looked like the most fun thing he had ever seen. Now he would get to try it too. It was the best gift he ever got. He moved the skates quickly out of his sister's reach as the toddler tried to reach for them with a happy little smile.

"Careful, Pip, you could hurt yourself with those," he said, placing them back in the box to be safe. He ruffled his little sister's hair, grinning at her.

"They can be yours when you're older. They won't fit me anymore. Maybe Santa will give me new ones then, so I can take you skating on the lake!"

He wasn't sure she actually understood what he was talking about, but his enthusiasm got to her and she laughed and clapped her hands eagerly. He hugged her to his chest, smiling in her hair.

"We're going to have so much fun, Pip."

* * *

**Sorry for suddenly disappearing like that. I just wanted to take a break for one or two days, I wasn't expecting it to be so hard to start writing again. But lack of motivation has always been my worst enemy. And there's the fact that, now that I have a new computer that can actually handle photoshop, I can actually draw again. I missed that. Sorry if this disappoint anyone, but I prefer drawing to writing. **

**That said, this story isn't dead, but my inspiration is, at the moment. It not that I don't have any ideas to write next. I had some, and plenty of suggestions that I found interesting, but I'm failing at making stories out of those. Feel free to send some more suggestions. Also, sorry if there's possibly a lot of mistakes in this chapter, I seem to have forgotten how to write in the past few weeks. **

**I guess I should leave you guys with some good news. I'll be on vacations next week, so I should be able to work on this more. Supposing I know what to write.**


	54. Valentine's Day

Jack ran along the canals, laughing as the water froze under his feet, hindering the many boats plying the waterways. The Venetian weather was too mild for his taste in mid-February. He came here to change that. It was still winter, after all, so it was fair.

A horrible sound assaulted his ears as he ran past a smaller canal. Turning back in the direction of the noise, he listened carefully, trying to identify it. Singing. Very bad, off-key singing. He took to the air and let the Wind carry him to the source of the racket, curious. He soon reached a gondola slowly moving across the water, the gondolier more interested in entertaining his passenger than in getting anywhere. The finely dressed lady sat on the plush, lavish chair, hiding her laughter behind her hand as the young man butchered some love song.

Jack chuckled at the scene. The lady seemed happy to let the man serenade her rather than take her to her destination. Jack was always glad to help people wishing to have some fun away from the constrains of society. If those two did not want to go anywhere, he would give them a good excuse not to. He dropped one end of his staff on the water's surface, letting ice spread around it until it reached the flat-bottomed boat and trapped it in it's icy grip. The gondolier interrupted his singing as his boat stopped moving entirely, looking down at the water in surprise.

"Gaetano, what is happening?"

"It is ice, my lady. We are trapped."

"Oh no! That is quite terrible. What shall we do?" She didn't sound like someone in a terrible situation.

"I'm afraid we will have to wait for a rescue, my lady. And with your parents waiting for your return... I am so sorry." He did not sound sorry in the least.

"It cannot be helped. I am certain they will understand that there was nothing to be done. But it will get cold, waiting here."

"What's that I see? Someone helping me to spread love on this wonderful day?"

The new voice startled Jack, pulling his attention away from the couple in the gondola. He saw a flash of gold and azure feathers before being grabbed around the shoulders and squished against a large, hairless chest. Panic seizing him, he struggled in the strong grasp of whoever was holding him, trying to fly away to safety.

"Hey there, no need to be scared," the new arrival said, loosening his grip. "I am Cupid, the bringer of Love!"

Jack pulled himself free as soon as he was able, flying a safe distance away. He almost instantly regretted it. It was an extreme rarity for anyone to touch him and he ran away from it. He hesitantly inched a little closer as he looked at the man facing him. He had heard of Cupid before, some sort of spirit of love, but had never met him. He should likely introduce himself. That's what polite people did when meeting someone.

"Er, hello. I'm Jack. Jack Frost. Spirit of Winter."

"Ah, winter! The season of love!"

Jack blinked at him, a bit doubtful about that.

"I thought spring was the season of love."

"Dear Jack Frost, don't you know what day it is? Today is Saint Valentine's Day."

"Right. Okay. So, today's the day of love. But the entire season?"

"Winter is... winter is warmth." Jack's disbelieving stare prompted Cupid to elaborate. "Not warmth in the air, but warmth coming from inside, as lovers huddles together to fight off the cold."

Cupid demonstrated this by pulling the young spirit back into a hug with one arm, sweeping the other in the direction of the canal, gesturing at the couple now sitting very close to each other, giggling softly. Jack wiggled free before he could even think about it. He berated himself right after.

"Alright. I get it."

"What about you, young winter spirit? Did you ever feel the warmth of someone's embrace?"

"Yes. You keep hugging me."

His words came out angrier than he meant them to. It wasn't the other spirit he was angry at, but himself for being unable to accept the affection he had always yearned for. It was kind of pathetic, really. Laughter from the gondola made him frown. He wasn't liking this Saint Valentine's Day very much. It reminded him of how alone he was.

"Do not despair, little one," Cupid said in a sympathetic tone. "There is love waiting for you out there. You just need to find it."

"Right," he grumbled. "And I'm sure there plenty of people waiting for love. Aren't you busy?"

Cupid stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, suddenly, he grabbed Jack again and squeezed him against his chest once more. He let go almost right away, putting both hands on Jack's shoulder instead. The startled winter spirit did not pull away this time.

"I am. But, if you ever need company, feel free to visit. I have a floating palace not far from here. Don't be a stranger."

And with that, Cupid was gone. Jack hovered above the canal a few long minutes, trying to recover his wits after his overwhelming first meeting with the spirit of love. He took a shaky breath.

"Wind, take me home."

He needed to be back to familiar territory.

* * *

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone, whether you're spending it alone or with someone. To me, it's always been that day of the year when I try to fit as many cinnamon hearts in my mouth so I can burn my tongue and drool red sugar. That's only actually fun if you do it in front of people.**


	55. Guardian Of Fun

Jamie put his forehead down on his knees with a sigh. This was supposed to be the best winter ever. Ever since last spring, he had waited expectantly for the temperature to drop, for the young winter spirit to return. A part of him had been terrified that it had all been a dream or that, even if it was real, he would still never see the Guardian ever again.

But Jack had returned to Burgess, bringing snow and fun back with him. The white haired teenager promised him he would have an amazing time. The best snowball fights, the best sleigh rides. He would teach him to skate on the frozen lake. They would build a snow fort. It was to be the most fun he had in his entire life.

And it had all been taken away from him.

"Why Jamie sad?"

He raised his head and turned his gaze in the direction of the voice. His little sister stared back at him with worried eyes as she sipped on her lemonade, reclining on the sunlounger next to his. Jamie sighed again and stretched his own legs, trying to find the words to explain his anguish to Sophie.

"We're missing winter."

"There's dolphins here."

"There's Jack in Burgess."

Sophie considered this. She looked like she couldn't quite decided which was best. At her age, the little girl understood 'there's dolphins here' a lot better than 'Jack will make our winter awesome'. She did not yet know the Guardian as well as he did. She did not understand how amazing things would have been if they had stayed home instead of being dragged on a cruise by their mom. He tried to convince Jack to kidnap him or something, but the Spirit of Winter had merely laughed and ruffled his hair.

"_Have fun on your trip,"_ he said.

Before he could continue to explain to Sophie why she should be miserable about being here, a commotion caught their attention. A large group of their fellow passengers had assembled along the ship's railing to point at something in the water with cries of disbelief. Many of them snapped pictures. Curious, he got out of his chair and ran up to them to see what was going on. Sophie followed, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Dolphins!"

"I don't think it's dolphins, Soph. Everyone wouldn't just—"

He stopped talking abruptly when he saw what everyone else was seeing. Or more than they were seeing, actually. A small ice platform floated on the clear water of the Carribean Sea. Wandering on its frozen surface, a lone penguin stared at the ship as it passed it by. Light, very localized snow fell over the incongruous scene. And, invisible to everyone's eyes but those of the two children from Burgess, a white haired teen sat casually on the platform, smiling in amusement at the tourists' reaction. Jamie felt a grin split his face.

"Jack!" Sophie shouted, waving happily.

A few of the adults threw her curious glances, but they must have assumed she was waving at the penguin. Most could not look away from the misplaced animal. Jack waved back at her with a crooked grin.

"How's your cruise going?"

"It just got awesome!" Jamie shouted at him, not caring what anyone thought.

"Great! Keep it that way!" Jack shouted back, cupping his hands around his mouth to be heard as the ship moved away from his melting platform. "I'll see you in Burgess when you come back. Got to go, now. I need to bring my little friend back home."

Jamie burst out laughing. He waved at the Guardian with his little sister until they were out of sight. Ignoring the bewildered adults, Sophie turned to him with a bright smile.

"You're right. Jack better than dolphins."

* * *

**Since I'm currently on vacation, I'm going to try to write a chapter a day again, at least for the week. I've been re-reading all of the reviews I got for this fanfic (I'm not quite done with that yet, there's really a lot of them!). I can see now how I managed to keep doing this everyday for over a month. You guys are awesome.**

**On a separate note, I often get various questions about possible romance in this story. I answer them individually when I can, but for everyone I couldn't answer or anyone else who's wondering, there will not be any romance in this. There's certainly some very close relationship, but they're not intended to be romantic. You can read what you want into them, though. **


	56. Golden Dreams

**Set right after ****_Who I am._**

* * *

The poor yeti never stood a chance. The dart was very close to the center this time, but it would not be enough. Phil was good, but Bunny was better. Sandy gave the yeti two thumbs up for encouragement. Phil shrugged. Bunny grinned.

Sandy leaned back, taking a long sip of eggnog. North was still not back and Jack hadn't returned either. He hoped the boy was alright. But worry kept him from returning to his nap and so he watched Bunny continuously beat Phil at dart while he waited. Tooth occasionally cheered them on in between her frantic instructions to her fairies.

"... and one premolar in Vienna. Good work, Phil! Oh! Bicycle accident, Tokyo. You can win this, Bunny!"

Bunny took his place in front of the dart board as he got ready for his turn. He smoothed his ears back and turned to Tooth with a vain smile.

"Of course I can win. Like I won all of the previous game. I'm a master marksman, it's not a yeti who can—whoa!"

Bunny's speech—and Sandy's eye-roll—was abruptly interrupted when the Pooka's foot slipped on a patch of ice that had not been there a moment before. He fell gracelessly on the floor, darts flying all around. Phil looked pleased.

"Careful, Cotton Tail, it's slippery."

Relief filled Sandy when he heard the mocking voice of Jack Frost. The boy stood at the entrance of the Globe Room with a grin on his face as he looked down at the sputtering Pooka. North was with him, one large, tattooed arm wrapped around his shoulder. Whatever had driven Jack away from the party, he looked fine. Ready to have fun. Sandy lifted his mug at him.

"You'll regret that, Frostbite!" Bunny roared, bounding toward the boy.

"I doubt that!" Jack answered with a laugh.

He did not wait for Bunny to reach him, pulling away from North and letting the wind lift him up and take him away from the vengeful Pooka. He had only limited space to fly in the Globe Room and he could not truly get out of Bunny's reach. Sandy brought his mug of eggnog back to his lips as he watched the ensuing chase with interest. The winter spirit's laughter resonated over the crashing sounds of various object who had the misfortune of getting in their way.

"My workshop! You break something, you're on naughty list."

"Oh dear. Should we stop them?"

Bunny roared in triumph as he tackled Jack in mid-air. The Guardian of Fun dropped a few feet, but managed to keep them airborne. He started to spin. Bunny's roar turned to one of panic, occasionally interspersed with curses. From somewhere in the Workshop, a clock sounded midnight. Time for bed, Sandy decided.

The ball of golden sand caught the two Guardians mid-spin, sending them tumbling to the ground. They would be bruised in the morning, but for now they slept contently. Bunny's vendetta was forgotten as the golden carrots started to spin over his head. He wrapped an arm over the boy using his chest as a pillow, one foot kicking the air a few times as he dreamed. Above Jack, the Dreamsand formed itself into the small figures of skating children. The young Guardian smiled contently, his finger curling in Bunny's fur as his dream-self joined the kids.

"Wonderful. Who else is staying the night?"

Above the two dreamers, the carrots pulled on skates of their owns and joined the laughing children on the ice. This time it was Sandy who wished he had a camera right now. Maybe he should ask North.


	57. Gift-Giving

**This is a sequel to ****_Merry Christmas. _****Yes, I know, that was forever ago.**

* * *

"Jack! Merry Christmas. I hope you haven't eaten too many candy canes."

Jack's answer was lost when Tooth stuck her fingers in his mouth, inspecting the potential damage. He was happy enough to see her again that he did not protest too much, but he still breathed out in relief when North pulled her away for a hug. He straightened the blue holiday sweater that North pressed on him for the occasion, as if Tooth's teeth examination had mussed it up somehow. He spent a lot of time subtly readjusting the unfamiliar piece of clothing, not having worn anything but his now-threadbare blue hoodie in a long time.

"Dressed for the occasion, eh Frostbite?"

"Jealous, Cotton Tail? I'm sure North wouldn't mind knitting you your own sweater."

"Ah! You should have asked, my friend! I will have one for you next year."

Bunny gaped. Jack snickered. The Pooka glared at him, as if it was his fault that his mockery had turned against him. He was still getting used to actually dealing with people, but one thing he had learned around the Easter Bunny he could only be made fun of if he let it embarrass him. Jack spun around to follow Tooth to the Globe Room, not even caring about the way the little bells on the blue shoes jingled. Bunny was too busy having the air squeezed out of his lungs by North to throw a barb at him.

"Crikey, mate, let go! It's just Christmas. I don't even know why I bother coming here every year. I don't force anyone to come to the Warrens for Easter."

"You come to Christmas breakfast because of delicious carrot cake."

"Hmph."

Jack smiled at the exchange. He was feeling a lot better toward this little celebration than he had in the morning. He was more willing to forgive and forget and see where things would go from here. Whatever happened in the past, he would give the Guardians their chance now.

Sandy floated down from the hole in the ceiling just above the Globe, waving at the small group. They gathered around to greet him, exchanging pleasant words and sand pictographs. A large table had been set next to the Globe, with enough food for all of the Guardians, elves and yetis. The smell of cinnamon, cloves, apples, freshly baked bread, cookies and cakes and others less familiar smells made his mouth water.

He had not eaten a real food since the last time they had celebrated all together, after defeating Pitch, and he was certainly looking forward to the copious meal, even if eating was more of a luxury than a need for a Guardian. One he had not often indulged into. Several elves already hid amongst the various dishes, sampling the sweet-smelling food. Jack eagerly turned to the others to see if they could join in yet.

"Now that we're all here, just one more thing before food."

North walked to the gigantic Christmas tree in a corner of the increasingly less spacious room and knelt in front of it to reach for something. Jack had not seen anything there when he looked earlier. He thought there would be no gift-giving beyond the treats in the stocking, but obviously North had hidden something behind the trunk of the large tree. The winter spirit tried to not look too excited as the Russian pulled out a small box wrapped in pale blue snowflake-patterned paper and white ribbons. He doubted he was very successful.

"I don't usually give gifts to fellow Guardians. After a few centuries, I wouldn't know what to give and they wouldn't know where to put them anymore. There isn't much that we want, anyway. But this is your first Christmas with us, so thought I would make exception. Here."

Jack took the box North thrust into his hands and eagerly started to pull on the ribbons. It brought back vague memories of his former life, of unwrapping presents with his little sister. He had always been excited to see what Santa brought for him. When he could manage to stay off the naughty list, that is. He wondered now, too, but for different reasons. Even though he had long wished for a Christmas gift, there was nothing that he actually wanted. Nothing that could be put in a box, at least. He only hoped that North had not decided to give him a pointy hat to match his shoes. There was only so much ridicule he could take.

He pulled out something wrapped in blue tissue paper that thankfully did not feel like a hat or any kind of article of clothing. It felt like a figurine of some kind. Removing this last layer of wrapping, he pulled out the plastic figure to inspect it. He blinked in surprise when he realized who it represented.

"That's... me."

"Yes! A Jack Frost action figure. Do you like it?"

Jack laughed. That was really not something he had expected. Taking a closer look, he could see that the arm holding the staff moved, the wrist even rotating so that the shepherd's crook could be waved around. His small plastic replica had a mischievous grin on its lips. Delicate patterns of frost covered the figure's shirt and staff. North had obviously tried to make it as exact as possible. Jack grinned.

"It's nice. Thanks."

"Good. But that's not the real gift."

"No, the real gift is the dollhouse that goes with it." Bunny said. The Pooka had moved closer to the table, his nose twitching.

"Bunny, away from the carrot cake. Not time to eat yet," North scolded. "But no, no dollhouse. But this is not a unique piece. A few thousands Jack Frost action figures were put under Christmas trees tonight."

"Wh-what?"

Tooth flew up to them and placed a hand on his shoulder. She had that soft, motherly smile on her face, the same one she had when she looked at the children. It was not the first time she directed it at him.

"Getting children to start believing can be hard, Jack, but we're here to help. Many of them have been dreaming of you since the spring," she said with a nod at Sandy. The Guardian of Dreams quickly hid a half-eaten cupcake behind his back when everyone's attention turned to him, but he gave him a thumbs-up with his free hand. Jack felt his eyes mist up for the second time this morning as a wide smile spread on his lips.

"Guys..."

"We'll see how grateful you are when some big corporation decide to rethink your image and give you tights and a pointy hat, Frostbite. Would fit the shoes, though."

Jack's smile did not fade. If the children believed in him, they could think he was a fairy for all he cared.

"What are we all still standing around for?" North boomed. "Let's eat!"


	58. Storytelling

Lazing around on the rooftop, Jack watched little Jade make a snowman in the courtyard bellow. She did not know he was there and he planned on keeping it that way. In the many years since he became a Guardian, he learned that it was better to keep his distance with children. Else they might have a hard time growing up. He did not go out of his way to avoid being seen, and certainly Jade had seen him before, but when they did, he gave them a wave, a wink and a flurry of snow before moving on.

He watched, though. He always had and he always would. But even when they did not see him, the children knew he was there. He could never stop the grin whenever he heard them thank Jack Frost for a snow day, a perfectly smooth frozen surface to skate on or a snowball that came out of nowhere and started a snow war. Just like Jade had, an hour earlier, when she enthusiastically ploughed through the heavy wet snow to build her snowman.

He chuckled as she struggled to hoist the third ball of snow above her head to put it on top of the other two. After a little wave of his staff, the snowman's head all but floated in place. The little girl clapped cheerfully and ran off to pick up some branches to serve as arms. Bellow his perch, the back door opened.

"How is the snowman going, Jade? Your mother is making hot cocoa."

"It's ready now? I just put the arms then I'm done!"

Jamie chuckled as he joined his daughter by the snowman, watching her stick two of her three branches into the snow.

"Take your time. It's not ready yet and it'll need to cool before you drink it. You don't want to burn your tongue again, do you?"

She shook her head, sending her blond hair flaying around her. The girl reminded Jack so much of Sophie at her age. Returning her attention to her work, she carefully placed the third branch in the fork of one of the 'arms', as if the snowman was carrying a staff in its wooden fingers.

"It's Jack Frost," she declared, gesturing grandly. Jamie laughed. Jack stifled a laugh of his own. Jade tugged on her father's sleeve.

"Daddy, will you tell me that story again? The one with Jack Frost and Santa and all the others?"

Jack swallowed. He had heard the story before and it did not get any easier to listen to Jamie tell it.

"Alright. Once upon a time, the Boogeyman decided that the children didn't fear him as much as he would like, so he cursed the Sandman's sand so that, instead of giving the children sweet dream, it gave them nightmares. The Sandman was horrified by this, so he went to see his old friend Santa Claus and asked for his help. Santa realized that it must be the work of the Boogeyman, so he decided to call others to help as well. And who did he call?"

"Jack Frost! And the Tooth Fairy! And the Easter Bunny!"

"Wow! It's almost like you heard that story before," Jamie said in a falsely impressed tone. Jade giggled.

"Continue!"

"Alright. So, they were all very busy doing their thing, like spreading winter, collecting teeth and preparing for Easter, but they knew this was too important to ignore. The children were in danger and they had to help. So they all gathered together, dragged the Boogeyman from under the bed where he was hiding and forced him to lift the curse on the Sandman's sand. And never again did the Boogeyman try to scare the children."

Jack knew it was just a story to Jamie. Something he and his friends came up with when they were kids. He did not even remember his own part in it. But these tales about the Guardians brought back fond memories in Jamie of the time when he still believe in everything. That was why he shared them with his daughter, so she would believe like he had. So her childhood could be filled with magic.

A light snow had started to fall at some point during the story and Jamie looked up to take in the sight of snowflakes dancing on the breeze. He had his back turned to Jack but, from his vantage point, the Guardian saw as a large snowflake landed on the man's nose and released it's magic. Jamie's expression cleared as a bright smile spread on his lips. In that moment, he looked like the boy he used to be.

The moment passed and he frowned in slight confusion, still looking up at the sky. It was almost like he was searching for something. Or someone. Jack's breath caught in his throat. Somewhere inside, a woman's voice announced that the hot cocoa was ready. Jade cheered and ran up to the door, turning back when she saw that her father did not follow.

"Daddy?"

Jack wanted nothing more than to fly over Jamie's head with a laugh and a wave and land in the backyard like he had so many times before. He was not certain the man would see him, but he would not know unless he tried. Several heartbeats passed. Jack did not move from his spot on the roof. Finally, Jamie shook himself and turned to his daughter.

"Would you like to make some paper snowflakes while we drink that hot cocoa?"

In his head, Jack repeated the words he had repeated countless times already.

_It's better this way._

* * *

**I hope you guys like this chapter, because it's likely to be the last one. I just don't have the motivation to continue this anymore. I spend hours trying to type a few hundred words and it feels more like a chore than anything else and I know it's just not as good as it used to be. Sorry for those of you who are still reading this story (which, I guess, is all of you, otherwise I don't know why you're reading this AN). It's not 100% sure that there won't be another chapter, but don't hold your breath. **

**On a different note, I may or may not have named Jamie's daughter after one of my nieces, because it's her birthday. But don't tell her, her twin sister would be jealous. But I wanted a simple, relatively common name. **


	59. Easter Preparations

**This had been on my to-do list for a long time and I finally decided to write it. It was a little rushed (written in half and hour) but at least it's something.**

* * *

It would be Easter soon and Bunny was deep into his preparations. Unlike the North, he could not start painting the next batch of eggs as soon as Easter was over. But he could manage. Between the lakes of dyes and the flowers applying patterns to the egglets, a lot of the work was done without him needing to do much more than supervise and fiddle with the flowers every now and then to ensure a greater variety. Not that the children would know if their egg was very similar to one on the other side of the world. Not until they started to post photos of their Easter eggs online and to compile lists. It was only a matter of time before some sort of Eggbook was created. He would really need to step up his game, when that happened.

Even without any egg-sharing social media, he still made sure to have a fair amount of unique, hand-painted eggs. He spent a big part of the year, in his off-time, coming up with designs for those special ones. Exotic flowers, intricate arabesques or delicate feathery motifs decorated them. He traveled the world looking for inspiration, from the deep forests to busy markets where one could find beautifully patterned carpets and potteries. In the long time he held this job as the bringer of hope, he had seen quite a bit.

He finished a pink and white star design that may or may not look like that of a certain purple unicorn when he felt the chill in the air. Looking behind him, he saw Jack Frost looking over his shoulder. The kid played with his staff nervously like he was trying to ask something without knowing how. A faintly amused smile stretched the boy's lips as he looked at the lilac colored egg in Bunny's hand. If he actually recognized the pattern, he could hardly mock Bunny for being familiar with it.

"What do you want, Frostbite? I'm busy here." It came out harsher than he intended as he shove the finished egg aside and picked up a new one. The winter spirit took a step back, the smile disappearing. Bunny regretted his tone as Jack looked down at his feet and held the staff to his chest, opening and closing his mouth several time without any sound coming out. When he finally did speak, it wasn't much better.

"I, er, can I, I-I mean... would you mind—"

"Out with it already!"

Jack flinched. Bunny mentally punched himself. The young Guardian took a deep breath before trying to talk again.

"Can I help you with anything?"

Bunny stopped himself before he could just flat-out refuse the kid's help. He wasn't a fool, he knew why Jack was here. It was about last year. Bunny had not exactly hidden his belief that the newly-chosen Guardian was responsible for ruining Easter. He had not exactly retracted that statement since. The longer he took to answer, the more Jack fiddled with the frozen shepherd's crook, shuffled in place and bit his lips. The temperature dropped a few degrees. The freezing grass crackled under the winter spirit's feet.

"Sure. Grab a paintbrush and get started."

Even should Jack Frost turn out to have as much skill in decorating eggs as a toddler finger painting on a wall, Bunny decided that the genuine smile he got when he agreed to let him help would make this worth it. The eggs could be painted over if they did not meet his standards and it would not actually set him back. He could let Jack feel useful for a day.

He turned his attention to the next egglet waiting to be painted, only throwing the occasional glance at the teen sitting across from him. He was relieved to see him use semsible spring colors. He had feared the boy would paint everything white and blue. After a moment, he got too engrossed with his own work to pay the kid much heed. Until he proudly presented him his first finished work, that is.

"H-how does it look?"

He had to snort. He looked like a child presenting his crayon masterpiece to his parents. Bunny took the egglet from him and examined it. Jack had stuck to the pretty standard idea of pink flowers on green, with some pale yellow fern-like pattern at the bottom. It was very well done and certainly a spring pattern, but something about the fern and oddly stylized flowers reminded him of winter and it took him a moment to realize why. He snorted again when he did.

"Your flowers look like snowflakes. And the ferns look like frost."

The temperature dropped a little bit more as ice formed similar fern-like patterns on the boy's cheek. Jack sighed in defeat and looked down at the blades of grass slowly frosting over around him.

"S-sorry. I guess I can't really be any help after all."

"Hey there, mate, don't look so down. I didn't say it was a bad thing. Unique designs are exactly what I'm looking for and those are quite beautiful."

Jack hesitantly looked up, as if he wasn't sure if Bunny really meant it. The Pooka reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Besides," he added, "a few snowflakes never ruined Easter."

That actually drew a smile out of Jack.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who has been very understanding of my desire to possibly stop writing this. I may still add to it if I feel like it, but I wanted you to know I might not so you don't wonder if I never update again. Should I ever decide to start a new arc (which I doubt) I assure you it will get finished, but other wise this is as good a place as any to stop. It's a short story collection, it's not like I could continue writing it until it's done.**

**For some reason, I've been feeling like writing a short How to Train your Dragon oneshot lately. It might actually happen. **


	60. To Fill The Silence

**Hey, look! Another chapter! Thanks to everyone who's reviewing, it motivates me to write more.**

* * *

Jack was more comfortable at night, under the protective gaze of the Moon, than during the day in the harsh sunlight. Even if the Moon would not speak with him anymore., there was still something reassuring about his presence in the sky, large and bright. It had calmed his fears when he woke in the dark many months ago and even now, when he looked up, he did not feel quite as lonely. The Moon looked back, he knew.

It was sad that the only ones aware of his existence were a large glowing sphere in the sky and animals that did not rationalize the world around them enough to not believe in him. None of them answered when he spoke to them. Sometime, the silence was deafening.

The days were filled with the laughter of children. Jack could not deny that he was drawn to them. He joined in their games and conversations, even if they could neither see or hear him. He had learn to keep his comments to simple statements that required no answers. That way, he could pretend that they heard.

But the bright light made it hard to ignore when one looked his way without seeing him. In the dark, he could pretend that the shadows hid him. He was there, he was real, but it was just too dark for them to spot him, with his dark cloak and hair that blended in with the snow. In the daylight, though, he had to admit he was invisible to them. He might as well be a ghost.

And so, even the deafening silence of the night was more tolerable than the too-revealing light of the day. He spent his night painting everything with frost for the children to discover in the morning, smiling as he imagined their delighted faces when they saw his delicate frozen masterpieces.

He just needed to fill the silence. He spoke to the Moon often. He told him everything. His fears, his doubts and what joys he found. He told him what the children did during the day, while his gaze was turned away. More than anything, he asked questions. One question, in particular. The most simple one, yet the one that he desperately needed answered.

"Why?"

The Moon never answered. He tried to speak with the animals, too, but they ran away more often than not. He was strange, cold and unnatural. The ducks that swam upon his lake in the spring had grown used to him, but they fled south once the winter came. The other animals tolerated his presence as long as he stayed still and silent, but they took fright if he reminded them of his presence. Jack did not want to stay still and silent.

He talked to himself a lot. Thinking out loud. Sometime even having a small conversation with himself. But he grew bored quickly. He had nothing to say that he did not already know.

As frost bloomed under his fingers on one of the village's rare windows, he could hear laughter coming from inside. Even this late at night, this place was not yet empty. Men gathered here around mugs of bitter tasting amber liquid, loudly telling each others about their day, their wife and their children in colorful language they would not use around said wives and children. Jack did not know how they could drink that stuff. He sneaked in once for a taste and ended up spitting it on the floor. But it certainly seemed to make them happy.

Through the dirty windows, he saw one of the men climb on a table as the others encouraged him. Jack pressed his nose to the glass, curious. His cold breath coated it in frost, blocking his sight entirely. He sighed in frustration.

The man's voice rose above the others as he started to sing. Men cheered and clapped their hands as more voices joined in the apparently well-known song. Jack could not really hear the words, slurred as they were and sung off-key by multiple people not quite in tuned with each others, but he was fascinated.

There did not seems to be any purpose to the singing other than to make sound. No need to find words to say, they were already there. He had often heard the children sing strange little rhymes that he didn't think they actually understood but no one cared. It was as if they did it for no other purpose than to fill the silence.

The singing inside stopped abruptly in a chorus of laughter as the man lost his balance and fell off the table. Jack withdrew from the window, deep in thought. He slowly walked back to his little lake, in no real hurry. He could recall some of the children's song enough to recite them. It had just never occurred to him to do so. Not until a song shattered the silence of the night.

With no one but the Moon to listen, he hesitantly started to sing. It could barely be called that, unused as he was to carrying a tune. The melody was simple, but it was harder than he had expected. It didn't matter. There was no one to judge him. Only the Moon, and he had already shared so many secrets with him, he could share is horrible singing as well. He would get better. He had plenty of time and nothing to do with it

Starting over with more enthusiasm, he sang as loudly as he could. Sounds of panicked animals answered him. He kept singing, repeating the rhymes until he forgot everything else. For once, the silence of the night did not weight on him.

* * *

**Some of you seemed interested when I mentioned doing a HTTYD fanfic, so you might want to know that I did write a very short one. I have a longer one on my might-do list, as well as a few more chapters of this. I'm currently procrastinating on doing the stuff on my to-do list. **

**I started to actually write again. I write everyday, even if it's just to rant about my day. I don't know yet what this mean for this story, whether or not I'll start updating it regularly again. I guess it'll depend on how much I have to rant about (then again, I had actually finished writing my daily 750 words before I even got started on this chapter and I still wrote it).**


	61. Holidays

**Sorry if this chapter is barely edited. **

* * *

"Maybe I should try that."

Jamie turned his eyes away from the screen where the children sang their crazy, psychotic song to look at Jack. Sophie grabbed the bowl of popcorn from him, putting a fistful of it in her mouth.

"Do what? There's nothing about this I would recommend doing."

"Temporarily kidnap North and take over Christmas, I mean. Just once."

Jamie sighed. Maybe inviting Jack to stay and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas with them hadn't been such a good idea. He had grown overly fond of his namesake from the movie and Jack Skellington was not exactly a good role model for mischievous immortals. Not that Jamie didn't like the character just as much, but actually following his example was not a possibility for him.

"Jack... you should just leave Christmas to North. It's kind of his thing. He knows what he's doing."

Jack shrugged and grabbed the popcorn from Sophie. Jamie hoped he wasn't seriously considering it. As much as he liked Jack, he wanted Christmas to stay, well, Christmas.

"I could give everyone a white Christmas, no matter where they live."

"Can you really? I thought making it snow in warmer places was really hard," Sophie asked around her mouthful of popcorn.

"It's harder. But I'm a Guardian, now. There's a lot I can do that used to be too hard."

"But there's more to Christmas than the snow. What about the toys?"

"I've seen how North do it. He carves them from ice! Do you think I can't do that?"

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"When did you start getting all responsible on me, Jamie?"

Jamie chuckled and shrugged. It was true that when he was younger he would likely have been all for Jack taking over Christmas. If only because Jack was awesome. But Jack Skellington had been awesome too and he had done a pretty bad job. He just couldn't imagine anyone succeeding like North did. Jack had returned his attention to the movie. He glared at Oogie Boogie, shoving more popcorn in his mouth.

* * *

Jamie stood to stretch after spending so long sitting. Sophie laughed.

"You're getting old, Jamie."

He threw a cushion at her. She laughed again, throwing it back. To his surprise, Jack did not try to turn this into a pillow fight. He still stared at the screen as the credit rolled, frowning.

"Jack? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. You were right, you know? I should leave Christmas to North."

"That's good to hear," Jamie said hesitantly, feeling like he was missing something.

"I'll just have to take over Halloween instead."

"Wh-what?"

"Awesome!" Sophie shouted.

"Why not? There is no Jack Skellington to take care of it. Think about it! Trick or treat? I can do that!"

"B-but it's a fall holiday." Jamie stuttered. He briefly tried to imagine Jack dressed in black and orange. It failed. He could not really imagine the spirit of winter having anything to do with other seasons. He was just too...wintery. Even if he had seen Jack give out candies on Halloween before.

"So? I usually start showing up in the Northern Hemisphere around that time, anyway. I can go around the world handing out candies. It's fall, here and spring in the south. It's not too warm anywhere for a visit from Jack Frost. What do you think?"

Jamie couldn't help but smile. He remembered a Halloween years ago when Jack had handed out treats like that. It had been fun, he couldn't deny.

"Where are you going to find enough candies for all the children?"

"I'll manage. I'm a Guardian, we can do that kind of things."

Jack was grinning from ear to ear and so was Sophie. She was lucky she could still go trick-or-treating. Jamie was getting too old for that. He would be eighteen years old next Halloween.

"I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job."

* * *

**I might write a sequel to this. Maybe several. Those of you familiar with the timeline may have recognized that this is the same year as Kids Need To Grow Up. **

**I would like to inform everyone right away that I'm likely to disappear in April. Not forever, just for the month. I'll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, so I'll be doing a lot of writing already for my original stories (I've set my goal to the standard 50,000 words). I doubt I'll have time to update any fanfictions. I would encourage everyone to join in as well (it does not involve actual camping, just writing). If anyone wants to request me as a cabin mate, my username is sisaat there as well. So we can pretend to be camping together. **


	62. The Spirit of Halloween

**This is a sequel to ****_Holidays_****. It happens the year after ****_Closure._**

* * *

"Did it have to be in spring? Couldn't you find yourself a holiday in winter?"

"Like what? Anyway, if it was winter here, it'd be summer up north. Just see it that way: I'm saying goodbye to the kids before leaving until next year. Winter is officially over."

"Winter was already over." Bunny mumbled. Jack smirked.

"If you think it's not appropriated for Jack Frost to still be around, I could have dressed as the Easter Bunny."

"That's out of the question, Snowflake, don't even think about it."

Jack shrugged with a laugh. He had not really planned on doing this as someone else, anyway. He had considered it, since it was Halloween and disguises were a tradition, but he ultimately decided that he wanted Jack Frost to be the one handing out treats to children. That did not mean he did not wear a costume. North had been all too happy to help him out with that. It had taken a lot to convince him that the shoes would not be a good addition.

"Fine, be that way. How do I look?"

He did a little twirl, grabbing one edge of his heavy fur-trimmed cloak to spin it dramatically around himself. Bunny snorted.

"It's not bad."

Jack grinned. Coming from Bunnymund, he would take "not bad" to mean "really good". He reached into the bottomless pocket inside the cloak, grabbing a piece of clear, snowflake-shaped hard candy and tossed it to Bunny.

"Sorry it's not chocolate, but happy Halloween."

It was time to get started.

* * *

"It's Jack Frost! Look," a kid said with wonder in his voice, pointing at him. One of his friends turned to stare at him, a smile illuminating his face. Jack smiled back. The third child rolled his eyes.

"That again? Stop being babies. There's no such thing as Jack Fro-"

The kid stopped abruptly, looking straight at him. This wasn't the first time it happened tonight. When their attention was directed at him, many children who did not believe in him saw him anyway. Jack was not sure what it was, but it only ever happened on Halloween, and only when he wore some sort of costume.

Maybe it was just that, tonight, there was nothing about a white-haired teen wandering the streets dressed like the Winter Prince that was a cause for disbelief. Not when those streets where full of zombies, cardboard robots, fake anime girls and other less recognizable things. Tokyo could be a little baffling on Halloween, or on any day, really, and he fitted right in.

Or maybe there was some truth to the old belief that the veil seperating the spirit world was thinner on this night, allowing him to be more easily seen.

"Nice costume," the kid said.

Jack grinned at the three of them, holding out candies. He did not know if that particular child would still be able to see him tomorrow. Likely not. But tonight, he was getting a treat from Jack Frost.

* * *

He spotted the green blur from he corner of his eyes as he walked through one of the less busy areas of New York. He floated up to an isolated rooftop and observed the anxious the anxious Tooth Fairy. She hovered just out of sight of the children running in the streets bellow, sometime moving forward a little as if to join them, then changing her mind.

"Something's wrong, Tooth?"

He had a pretty good idea of what bothered the fairy tonight. She startled when she heard his voice, calming down for a moment as she stared him up and down, smiling a little in approval. Wringing her hands, she joined him on his rooftop and looked down at the passing children. She bit her lip, obviously not pleased.

"N-no... nothings wrong. It's just... this tradition of collecting candies. It's not good for them. They often don't take proper care of their teeth after eating so much sugar. They rarely floss properly."

"Things that are good for us are not fun, Tooth. It's only once a year."

"I-I know... but-"

"Tooth," he interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If you try to keep kids from doing anything that could maybe harm them, you'll keep them from living their lives. Stop fretting."

Tooth sighed in defeat and nodded. She looked up at him and gave a bashful smile.

"You're right, of course. I'll go back to the Tooth Palace. We can do damage control later."

He smiled back before reaching into his pocket to pick one of his sugar snowflakes With a wink and a grin, he tossed it at Tooth. She looked at it with something akin to horror.

"Happy Halloween. Don't forget to floss!"

* * *

A light snow had started to fall by the time he made it to Burgess, but it was not too cold to be comfortable outside. He had not been there often the previous winter. He had been actively avoiding the place. But he had a job to do, now, and he was certainly not going to forget the children of the place he called home.

Even before he decided to make this a world-wide thing, he had occasionally come here to give candies to kids on Halloween in a variety of costume. This wasn't new to them. Some of them ran up to him, crowding around him for the treats and fun they knew would come. Small snowflakes melted on their noses, making them laugh. He thought coming back would be hard, but the smiles and laughter of happy children dulled the pain of the memories.

But he could not entirely avoid those memories. Sooner or later, his wandering took him in front of the Bennett's house. He lingered just long enough to see Jamie open the door to a little vampire holding a plastic pumpkin bucket. The teenager, or young adult now really, didn't spot the winter spirit standing on the curb, no matter how hard he was to miss in his long fur-trimmed cloak, with an elaborate crown of ice sitting on his brow. Jack did not stay much longer.

He found the other Bennett not too long after, a blond harlequin walking from house to house with an FBI agent and a ketchup bottle. He waited for her to notice him, part of him fearing she wouldn't. But she did and gestured to her friends to continue without her. Sophie walked slowly toward him until the other two costumed kids where a fair distance away before breaking into a run. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad to see you, Jack. I thought—I thought you wouldn't come back."

"Of course I came back. This is my home too."

She nodded and smiled at him with tear-filled eyes.

"Did you see my brother?"

"I did."

Jack didn't say more and Sophie didn't ask. She squeezed him a little tighter before moving back and holding him at arm's length. She gave him a slow, critical look, taking in the cloak, the dark blue clothes with delicate silver embroidery mixing with actual frost, the ice-covered staff and the crown.

"Well, that's an impressive costume. You're disguised as... Jack Frost?"

"That's right!"

She laughed.

"It looks good on you."

* * *

"Happy Halloween, North!" he said, grabbing a handful of candies as the elves jumped up and down in excitement.

"Jack! How did it go?"

"It went well. Really well."

"I can tell. We have some new lights flickering on Globe tonight."

Jack smiled and took a look at the Globe himself. He didn't doubt that not all of the kids who had seen him tonight would still believe once Halloween was over, but there seemed to be some new believers. He felt like he had actually accomplished something.

His thoughts were interrupted when North lifted him off his feet into a bone-crushing hug.

"Well done, Jack Frost. Well done."

* * *

Finding Sandy wasn't too hard. He only had to figure out which part of the world was due to receive his visit and follow the streams of golden sand to their source. Sandy waved at him as he got near. He fished one more candy from his greatly diminished stash.

"Happy Halloween Sandy!"

Sandy briefly shaped the dreamsand into the cloaked figure of a crowned teenager waving an arm to toss snowflakes around. He gave him a thumbs up before sending the dream on its way.

* * *

Cupid's floating palace was empty when he got there. It did not surprise Jack and he knew that finding the spirit of love would be a great deal harder than finding Sandy had been. He left his Halloween treat on an empty pedestal with a short note.

_Dear Cupid:_

_I decided to follow your example and find myself a holiday of my own. Consider yourself lucky; I'd make an awful job at Valentine's Day. So have a happy Halloween._

_love,_

_Jack Frost_

* * *

It was very late by the time he returned to Burgess. The temperature had dropped and a light fog covered the town. The streets had gone quiet. The Halloween decorations that floated in the wind, partially hidden from view in the mist, didn't look as cheerful as they had earlier as laughing costumed children ran by them.

A new bed frame sat on top of the hole in the ground. A more modern one, made of black metal, the kind you bought in a box and assembled yourself. It was slightly crooked and twisted where metal rods had been forced into position. Jack wondered if Pitch did that on purpose to give it a more sinister look, like the decrepit wooden frame previously placed there, or if he just failed to properly follow the instructions.

Jack floated between the parallel beams that should have held a mattress, entering the lair of the Boogeyman. The place was just like he remembered it, dark, twisted and confusing. He wasn't sure he could find his way out should Pitch decide to play with shadows. The others would have told him of the utter stupidity of coming here if they knew.

The winter spirit reached the central room, with its hollow Globe and hanging cages, without any troubles. He walked to that Globe and looked upon its lights as he waited. A long stretch of time passed before the cold voice came from the darkness.

"A little foolish of you to come here alone, Jack."

"Why? Are you going to throw yourself at me unprepared?"

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Jack turned from the Globe. He could not see Pitch in the surrounding darkness. He grabbed one last sugar snowflake from his pocket, holding it in front of him as an offering.

"It's Halloween, Pitch. I'm giving out candies."

"Get out of here, Frost."

Jack shrugged. He placed the treat in the hollow of the Globe before turning to leave the same way he came in. He was halfway up the stairs leading out of the room when Pitch spoke again.

"Why?"

"Because you always did believe in me."

* * *

** I have this absurd image stuck in my head of Pitch trying to assemble an IKEA bed.**


	63. Christmas Carols

**This is set after ****_Gift-Giving_****.**

* * *

Jack set his new action figure on the bedside table next to the small wooden doll. The Christmas breakfast was over and, while the others had not left yet, he had needed some time to himself.

After so long of telling himself that he no longer cared for Christmas or a family, he had to admit that both felt very nice. He was, for the first time in a very long time, he felt the excitement that came with that time of the year. He could finally understand all those ridiculously cheery people singing Christmas carols.

He walked to the window, taking a long look at the expanse of white outside. He was In Santa's workshop on Christmas, wearing a holiday sweater and some silly looking shoes with little bells on them. That was most likely what pushed him to start humming "Deck The Halls". At least, that's what he would later blame it on. The humming soon turned into full-blown singing as the Wind ruffled his hair, blowing snow into the room.

As the last note died, he turned to return to the Globe room, where the others would be preparing to leave. He froze when he say Bunny, Sandy and Tooth gaping at him from the doorway. He stared back with his eyes wides. He had grown used to singing whenever he felt like it, but this was the first time someone actually listened.

"Jack, that was beautiful!" Tooth gushed, fluttering up to him to take his hands in hers.

"H-how long have you guys been standing there?"

"Long enough," Bunny answered. "We came to say goodbye. We were about to leave. Were you in a choir before becoming a Guardian?"

Bunny looked way too amused for Jack's taste. He wouldn't let him live this down. He ignored the question about the choir.

"R-right. Leaving. Goodbye then. I, er, should go too. Now. I need to go make snow. It's winter."

Sandy waved at him as if his sudden departure was perfectly normal. Jack did not wait to embarrass himself further. He let the Wind pick him up and carry him away. He could swear he heard Bunnymund's laughter fading in the distance.

* * *

**I'd just like to clarify something before moving on to sillier news. When I said that fewer people are reading, I didn't mean fewer people are reviewing. That's generally true as well, but number of reviews have always varied depending on the chapter. I only mentioned lack of feedback for ****_Holidays_**** because I was writing a sequel that I wasn't sure anyone wanted to read. I don't want anyone to feel forced to review, or guilty that they didn't before. I know not everyone is comfortable reviewing. I'm not. I haven't written one in years. **

**That said, I really want to thank everyone who did review. It made me all warm and fuzzy inside. My inbox got pretty much flooded and that is wonderful.**

**So, I mentioned sillier news. I will be making a quick comic about Pitch assembling an IKEA bed. I usually take half a month making a comic page and I haven't been very productive art-wise lately, so it'll be something sketchy. I'll try to not take forever. I'll post it on tumblr when I'm done and link it on my profile. #Pitch shops at IKEA (help me make that a thing)**

**EDIT: Because I'm awesome, I finished it already.**


	64. Forgotten Memories

**This was actually written yesterday, but I didn't post it then because whenever I post two chapter the same day, a lot of people skip the first one. Seriously, how many of you who were reading back then skipped ****_Cold And Dark_****? It was posted a few hours before ****_Once Upon A Time, In Antarctica _****(and in the middle of the night, too). So, that means I don't have to write a chapter today. **

* * *

"Look, daddy, it's Jack Frost!" Jade said, pointing at someone to the side.

Jamie laughed and ruffled her hair. This Jack Frost legend was getting popular with the little ones, it seemed. Kids got toys modelled after him for Christmas, there was some ice cream brand named after him and they even dressed like him for Halloween. Jamie remembered he had done that as well, once. With a white wig and a blue hoodie, like that action figure he received for Christmas. These days, they seemed to favor the Winter Prince look. Like this kid.

The costume was certainly convincing. Jamie wondered where he had gotten the cloak. Or the crown. It looked like actual ice rather than the clear plastic he normally saw. The teen had even pushed it so far as to not wear shoes. He might be regretting that decision now, as small snowflakes had started to fall.

The teen was a little old to be trick-or-treating, but he looked like he was handing out candies rather than gathering them himself. The kids surrounding him seemed to know him. Jade let go of his hand, gathered her pale blue princess dress with one hand and skipped away to join the group. A little wary of letting his young daughter alone with a strange teenager, Jamie followed.

He noticed some puzzled parents looking at the crowd of kids and shaking their heads. Some called their children back to their side. None of them paid the teen at the center any heed. The elaborately costumed boy shooed the kids away with a grin after giving them treats. Jade reached him as the crowd dissipated, holding up her candy bag.

"Trick or treat?"

The white haired boy dropped a treat in her bag before ruffling her hair.

"Happy Halloween, little Jade."

The teen straightened and his eyes met Jamie's. He froze. He couldn't read the emotions in those too-familiar frosty blue eyes, but he looked like he had just seen a ghost. Jamie tried to place him. He could swear he knew the kid, but the costume made it hard to figure out from where. Especially when that costume looked so real he couldn't imagine him any other way. This couldn't possibly be the boys natural skin tone.

Yet a part of him believed that it was. That this boy really did look like the personification of winter. That he was Jack Frost in truth. It was that same part of him that fondly remembered playing outside in the snow and making up stories with his friends about the Spirit of Winter.

When the silence had stretched long enough, Jamie cleared his throat.

"Nice costume."

"Thanks."

A new awkward silence settle between the two until the teen reached into his pocket. He all but ran away after shoving a piece of snowflake-shaped candy in Jamie's hand.

"Happy Halloween."

* * *

**I'll admit the whole "Jack takes over Halloween" thing was just so I could do that. I'm not even sorry.**

**For those of you who missed the note in the previous chapter (since it was not originally there) I finished the "Pitch shops at IKEA" comic. It's on tumblr and deviantart (I'm sisaat on both sites). The tumblr link is on my profile. It's already the most popular thing I've posted there. **

**I have no idea how I wrote two chapters and made a comic yesterday. By the way, I'm on vacations again. I'd like to say you can expect more chapters, but I said that last time too and it didn't happen.**


	65. Lost And Found

**The is a sequel to ****_Forgotten Memories._**

* * *

Jamie stared at the snowflake in his hand. He had been taking the candy out of his pocket constantly to turn it around between his fingers. He still tried to remember where he had seen that teenager dressed as the Winter Prince. It had been a week now and it was driving him insane.

"You're supposed to eat it, you know?"

Startled, Jamie turned around. The speaker, surprisingly, looked just as startled as he did. Even more surprising, it was the very boy he had been thinking of. He dressed more casually now that Halloween was over, but he was still pale as snow and walking bare-footed. His breath caught in his throat. He knew that boy who looked like winter.

"Jack Frost."

A scene from long ago replayed in his mind as the boy's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what was happening.

"That's my name. You said my name."

"It's not the first time I say your name, Jack."

"Jamie..."

Jack took half a step forward, hesitated, took a step back, hesitated some more. Jamie was still a little lost, trying to reassemble old memories rushing back to him all at once. But there was one thing he did remember and it was the last time they had spoken. He quickly crossed the distance between them, grabbing Jack's wrist just as the wind picked him up to carry him away. He tugged the Guardian back down. He knew if he let him leave now, he would never see his old friend again

"You're not flying off on me, are you?"

"Jamie..."

"I know, I know. It's what was best for me."

Ignoring how tense Jack was, he pulled the winter spirit in a hug. He was still a bit too confused to really know what he was feeling right now, but it was mostly an overwhelming feeling of joy, guilt and relief. He wondered how often Jack had casually talked to him like he had a moment ago, without him hearing him.

"We humans don't always care about what's good for us. That would be no fun."

With a chuckle that sounded too brittle for his taste, Jack relaxed in his grip. He hugged him back tightly, as if he feared Jamie would suddenly disappear. Or just go right through him. Jamie hoped that had never happened.

"I missed you," Jamie said. And somehow, thought he didn't realize it at the time, he had.

* * *

**For some reason, when I was trying to outline this, it kept like looking like something out of Cinderella.**

**Also, hello to all new readers! There seem to be a lot of you, suddenly. Is it because the DVD is out? And congratulation to everyone who read all of this in one go, it's currently the length of a short novel.**


	66. Lullaby

Jack brushed the orange pastel on the sketch pad with a lopsided grin. Soon, a group of carrots wearing little ice skates joined the children on the frozen lake. It was just a vaguely remembered scene from a crazy dream, but it seemed appropriated as he sat there waiting for Bunny to come back.

The Pooka had handed him a box of pastel and a sketchpad before leaving to hide his Easter eggs. Jack strongly suspected that he wanted to keep him busy and out of the way. He felt a little like a child being given crayons and paper by a busy parent.

Not that he really blamed Bunny. With the Easter fiasco being a few years behind them, he may or may not have pulled a few harmless prank that made the Guardian of Hope strongly suggest he remained in the Warrens. He came here as usual to help paint a few eggs and had been "invited" to stay when Bunny left.

He had just laughed and shrugged, happy to sit under a pink flowering tree and fill the notebook with whatever crossed his mind. He considered himself an artist, spreading beautiful frost upon the world, but he had never worked with pastels. The child in him rejoiced at trying something new. So, while Bunnymund was having a perfectly boring, uneventful night hiding eggs all over the world, he amused himself by spreading colors upon the paper the same way he would spread frost on a window.

It had been a long time now since Bunny left and he had already drawn a picture of his lake, frozen under the moonlight, of the Warrens, with their egg golems and rainbow river, of a flight of ducks, of children making snowmen and of cutting paper snowflakes with Jamie and Sophie with pastel colored hair. And if his feathery strokes gave the pictures a whimsical look akin to frost on a window, he didn't care. Realism was boring.

"I'm impressed, Frostbite. I didn't think you'd still be sitting here."

The Pooka pushed through the curtain of flowering branches, looking around with suspicion, as if expecting to find the place frozen solid and filled with mocking representations of Bunny made of snow.

"I can be nice."

"What are you drawing there?"

Bunny sat in front of him and took the sketchbook. He raised a bushy eyebrow at the sight.

"Are those carrots ice skating? Now, why is that familiar?"

"Did you dream about that too?"

Bunny rubbed his forehead and mumbled something about Sandy that Jack didn't quite catch. He snickered. The Pooka started to flip through the sketchbook, looking at the other pictures. The winter spirit expected some snarky comments, but Bunny just stared at them, his eyes a little unfocused and sometime drooping close.

"You look tired, Cottontail."

Bunny snorted dismissively, shaking himself awake. He blinked rapidly to focus, staring harder at the page in front of him.

"It's not my first Easter, Frostbite. I could stay awake a few more days."

"I'm sure you can. But you should sleep. Easter's over."

"Are you going to sing me a lullaby? You got such a lovely singing voice."

Jack stuttered and felt frost cover his cheeks in embarrassment. He tried to find some barb to throw back at him, to turn the conversation away, before realizing that this was exactly what Bunny had done. He turned the conversation away. Jack calmed down and took a slow, calming breath.

"Alright."

"Wh-what?"

"What's the matter, Cottontail? Do you want me to go get Sandy?"

He stood up as if to do just that. Bunny's eyes widened. He hastily grabbed Jack's arm and tugged him back down. The winter spirit felt more than a little smug.

"Fine, fine I'll sleep. Now. Stop fussing."

He dropped the sketchbook on the ground and settled himself in a comfortable spot between the tree's root. Crossing his furry arms over his chest, he looked at him his bushy eyebrows furrowed.

"So? When's that lullaby coming?"

Jack fidgeted. He regretted accepting this already. He could not possibly imagine himself singing while someone gruffly stared at him. On the grass, the sketchbook laid open where Bunny had dropped it. He picked it up and flicked to the picture of his frozen lake. He kept his attention on it, picturing himself standing on the ice and singing to the Moon.

He knew several lullabies. He had spent enough times in his life watching parents put their children to bed. He picked one and, never turning his eyes away from the pastel drawing in front of him, he started to sing. He let the world around him fade, replacing it with the more familiar setting. The nervousness disappeared.

Only when the song ended did he return to reality. He had a brief moment of panic as he remembered where he was. He turned to face Bunny, waiting for whatever sarcastic comment he would no doubt come up with, but the Pooka was fast asleep. Jack was safe from mockeries until he woke up. He wasn't planning to stick around that long.

Time to go see how many eggs the kids had found.


	67. Fear

It's the fear that drew Pitch out of his lair. Not just any fear, either. Children's fear. It felt like so long since he hadn't seen some properly terrified children. He let it guide him to the source. He wondered what had happened. There was something very immediate to that fear. Not children merely getting lost. A bear attack? Maybe. Whatever is was, Pitch savored it.

But the fear was diminishing. It wasn't gone, but it was as if something else was pushing it away. He quickened his pace. A hesitant laugh made him clench his fists.

He came just in time to see a boy pull a younger girl out of danger with a shepherd's crook. They were all smile and relieved laughter. The fear was just gone. Pitch pressed his lips together. He could never have any fun anymore. Not wanting to stay here and watch the happy children, he turned to leave.

The cracking sound gave him a pause and the returned terror made him turn back. A smirk stretched his lips. It seemed that it wasn't over after all. One of the kids had still been standing on thin ice.

"Jack!"

The fear was even stronger now. The girl shouted the name over and over. The boy didn't resurface. Pitch came closer. He wasn't worried about thin ice. He walked to the edge of the hole, where he could have a good view of the little girl. He could see this Jack she kept calling, too. Her brother, most likely. The water was dark but that was no obstacle to him. He wasn't struggling anymore. His fear was fading. He wouldn't be conscious much longer. A pity.

The girl's scream had stopped, but her terror was even stronger. When he looked back at her, she was staring right back. Her eyes wide and terrified, her face drained of blood, she was actually looking at him. Seeing him. Pitch could almost have hugged the girl. Instead, he gave her a sinister smile.

"Hello, little girl."

She stood and tried to run. She stumbled, unsteady on her ice skates. She scrambled back to her feet and kept running. Bellow the ice, he felt nothing more coming from the boy. He was unconscious and soon to be dead. There was no point in staying here.

He had a new toy to play with.

* * *

**I got my RotG DVD yesterday. Then I promptly got distracted by the book I had ordered at the same time, which is why there wasn't a chapter yesterday. Now that I'm done with my book, I can write again. This one had been on my idea list for a long time. And now I'm off to watch those DVDs (I got HTTYD too, I was previously borrowing it from my dad)**


	68. Slippery Slope

**This is set before the movie**

* * *

From his hiding place on a tall fir tree, Jack waited. It should be any time now. A team of ferocious-looking reindeer glared his way from a nearby rooftop. He made sure to stay as far away from them as he could when he had to come closer earlier.

"Now," he whispered.

With a whooshing sound, the large man in the red coat burst from the chimney with a laugh, arms and legs extending on either side of him in triumph. North seemed to always be smiling. Just never at Jack. But that was all right. He could still get a reaction out of the jolly old man.

As he landed back on the roof, North's feet slipped on ice that had not been there when he went in. He yelled and cursed in Russian, trying to find something to hold on. His fingers met only smooth ice. Jack pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. The reindeer stomped their hooves but did not venture on the frozen surface. The roof's tilt soon send him tumbling over the edge and into a deep snow bank bellow. bellow. Jack couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.

"Who's there!" North bellowed as he flailed around in the snow.

The winter spirit didn't see any point in hiding now. He floated into view with a mocking grin and a wave. North's eyebrows went down as he jumped back to his feet.

"Jack Frost! Why must you always be such a nuisance?"

Jack had a lot of possible answer to that question. _Because it's Christmas and I'm lonely. Because you won't pay attention otherwise. Because you owe me some coal. _But he did not say any of that. Instead, he grinned wider.

"Because it's fun."

* * *

**Something else that has been on my idea list forever. I don't know why it took so long, it's not like it was complex. **

**Since my vacations are over, updates might slow down a bit. Especially since my idea list is not really inspiring me at the moment. Feel free to throw some ideas at me, the more I have on there the more likely I am to write something.**


	69. Fragile Bonds

**I changed the cover image, since I was getting bored with the other one. And Jack's eyes are awesome, so I had to draw them. Should anyone want to see it, I have a larger version on tumblr (with both eyes).**

**This is a sequel to _Lost and Found._**

* * *

Jamie left for a walk in the early afternoon. He would need to return home to help prepare the Christmas supper later, but for now he had some time. Jade was playing with her gifts and her mother was reading. Sophie would be joining them. She might be there already when he returned. Jamie had not yet spoken to his sister about what happened on Halloween night. About who he saw that night. He did not know whether he should. Would Sophie remember? Would she think he was crazy?

He had only seen Jack a handful of time since. He felt like the Guardian was a little hesitant. Like he was afraid to get too close. Jamie felt guilty whenever he thought of it. He wondered if he had ruined their friendship by forgetting it. He had stopped believing in his closest friend, after all. He could hardly blame Jack for being wary of trusting him again. Even if the young Guardian had wanted him to stop believing.

He knew Jack usually spent his Christmas morning at the North Pole with the other Guardians, but he was usually back at this point. So Jamie braved the snow to go wish his old friend a merry Christmas. Jack had certainly outdone himself this year. If he believed the news, and he had no reason not to, there was not a single place that had not received a white blanket during the night. Everyone called it a miracle. They were not wrong. He just happened to know the one responsible for that miracle.

He did not immediately see Jack when he reached the lake. He wondered at first if he had perhaps stayed longer with the others, but the light snow still falling was too familiar. Jack was here somewhere, he just needed to look closer.

He ended up finding the young Guardian entirely by accident, while slowly making his way around the small lake. As he scanned the area for a familiar figure, he stumbled over something hidden in the snow. He tripped and fell with a yell. To his surprise, the mound under his legs moved.

"Ow! Wha—Jamie!"

"Jack?"

The winter spirit shook the snow from his hair and yawned. He stretched, obviously just waking up. Jamie wasn't overly surprised to see him sleep in the middle of the day or just lying in the snow. He had seen him take nap whenever or wherever he felt like before. He just shook his head with a little smile as they both sat up.

"Merry Christmas."

Jack smiled tiredly at him, rubbing his eyes. He yawned again.

"Merry Christmas, Jamie. Aren't you supposed to be with your family?"

"They can survive without me for a little while. Here, I brought you come cookies. Jade made them. I promised her to give them to you. My wife is sure I was going out to eat them when Jade isn't looking."

Jack's chuckle sounded a little guilty, but he accepted the cookies. He took one out of the clear plastic bag, observing it with a fond little smile. The snowflake shape was awkward at best, the blue icing unevenly spread and sprinkles covered most of it. Jack's smile turned into a grin.

"Tell Jade I say thanks."

"I will."

He looked at Jack a long moment. The winter spirit had yet to try to stand. His eyes kept drooping close and he often brought his hands up to rub them.

"That was quite something you did. All that snow."

Jack's laugh was cut off by a yawn.

"I wanted to give a white Christmas to everyone. I went with North on the sleigh to call snow everywhere in one night. You should have seen Bunny's face when I summoned a blizzard over Australia. In summer."

"You look exhausted."

Jack shrugged.

"I'm fine."

"Maybe you shouldn't try something like that again."

"I'm fine, Jamie."

"Do you want to come back home with me? It's not like anyone will be using the bed, if you want to sleep—"

"Jamie." Jack's voice had an edge to it this time. "You're treating me like a child."

Jamie bit his lip and looked down. Jack was right. Even if he knew the Guardian was much older than him, right now he just saw a boy sitting in the snow, struggling to stay awake. It was like part of him was aware that Jack was a powerful Guardian, was used to sleeping in the snow and could have stayed at the North Pole if he wanted a bed, while the other part screamed at him to take care of the boy.

"I'm sorry," Jamie said. Jack sighed.

"Things really have changed a lot, haven't they?"

Jamie stayed silent, fidgeting with his coat. Jack nibbled on a cookie. Jamie cleared his throat.

"I should let you rest. Sophie will be there soon," Jamie said, standing up at last.

"Right. Say hi to her for me, will you?"

Jack's grin told him he wasn't being serious. Jamie wondered how Sophie would react if he told her that Jack Frost said "hi". Maybe she would laugh. Maybe she would be confused. Maybe she would remember.

"I will."

Jack's grin turned into a wistful smile. Jamie held his gaze for a moment longer before looking down at his feet.

"I'll, er, see you another day?" He had not intended for this to be a question, but somehow, it turned into one.

"I'm not going anywhere for a while. You can visit whenever you want."

The invitation was a relief. He had not exactly handled things well today, but there would be a time to repair his mistake when the Guardian was more awake. Their renewed friendship felt very fragile at time. He would fix that. But not today. His family would be waiting for him.

"Sleep well."

"Have fun."

He turned back once before leaving the lake behind him, but the winter child had disappeared back in the snow.

* * *

**I want to do some more with Jack and adult Jamie. That's all I have for now, though. **

**It's the last day of winter and we have a snowstorm over here. I wonder if it'll be melted before Easter.**


	70. Artistic Comtemplation

**Sequel to _Lullaby._**

Bunny lounged between the roots of the large tree, the Warrens hidden from view behind the curtain of hanging pink flowers. Having woken here alone late on Easter, he decided to take a look at what Jack had been doing before talking him into taking a nap. Or rather singing him to sleep. Bunny would really have to ask the kid where he learn to sing so well. For now, though, it was his drawings that interested him.

The winter spirit certainly had a unique style. He itched to try it himself. He always made a point of experimenting with every new style of art he encountered. With his job for the year over for now and a lot of time until next Easter, experimenting was what he would be doing a lot of. Now he had a good starting point.

But first, he was interested in what the young Guardian had chosen to depict. He had only seen the ice skating carrots before his nap and had glimpsed a picture that looked like Jack's lake, but he was surprised at some of the others. One depicted the Warrens, which wasn't unusual seeing as this is where Jack had been, but the ducks were more puzzling. Bunny could not remember ever seeing the winter spirit and ducks at the same time. The scene looked like the viewer was flying with among them.

The kids making snowman was also something expected, but there was something about it that made Bunny's ears twitch. It was the angle of the scene, he realized. It wasn't drawn as if seen by someone on the ground. Rather, he was seeing it from above. As an aloof observer rather than someone who might potentially join in the fun. It made him feel sad and a little guilty. He quickly turned the page.

He snorted at the last one he got too. Apparently the dye had not easily washed. That would explain why Jack had avoided him for a while after that Halloween.

He was startled out of his contemplation when a pale hand pushed away the hanging flowers. Bunny barely had time to throw the sketchbook out of sight behind the tree's trunk before Jack peeked in. He did not want to look too interested in the drawings. He did not have a sarcastic comment ready.

"Bunny! Did you have a nice nap?"

The way Jack spoke like he was a small child annoyed him. He did not need a kid treating him like a baby. Bunny frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you want, Frostbite? I'm busy."

Jack raised an eyebrow at that, slowly looking around for any sign that Bunny had actually moved from his spot since he left him. Bunny cursed himself. Maybe he should have stayed asleep.

"Right. I can see that. Well, sorry to interrupt your all-important post-Easter meditation, but I had a message for you. From Sophie."

His scowl disappeared almost instantly. His ears perked up in interest.

"A message? What message?"

Instead of answering, Jack floated next to him. He knelt down on one of the large roots Bunny was sitting between and looked at him for a long moment with a grin.

"Frostbite? Sophie's message?" he prompted impatiently.

Without warning, Jack threw his arms around Bunny's shoulder and squeezed, throwing the startled Pooka off-balance. He raised his mouth to Bunny's long ear before the Guardian of Hope could shake him off.

"Easter Bunny, hop, hop, hop!"


	71. Alone And Afraid

**I hope you don't mind a Sophie arc, because you're getting one.**

* * *

"Jamie, will you hurry up? It's usually the girl that spend forever getting ready because she needs to put on her makeup. I've been ready for ages."

"I'm almost done, Soph, give me a minute!"

Before she could urge him further, the doorbell rang again. Sophie gabbed a handful of candies as she hastened to the door. She threw it opened, her best lopsided grin on her face.

"Trick or treat?" the children chanted together. Her grin widened. She dropped a piece of candies into each of their plastic buckets. The kids were really young, their parents waiting on the sidewalk in front of the house. They looked at her with shiny eyes before realizing that her costume was just that: a costume.

"Happy Halloween, kids," she said with a wink. Earlier, she tried deepening her voice when she spoke. She gave this up quickly. It sounded more silly than authentic.

"Soph, how does it look?" Jamie said as she closed the door. She turned to inspect him. Her brother would be staying home for Halloween for the first time this year. He usually came with her, even if he was a little old for it himself. He said he needed to look after his little sister. Sophie was pretty certain it was just an excuse to soak in the Halloween spirit. But with Sophie being almost twelve years old, that excuse was getting a little hard to believe. So he told their mother he would take care of giving the candies. She had been free to plan a horror movie night with some coworkers instead.

It had been a few years since Jamie hadn't actually dressed up for Halloween. And it had been a few months since he had not smiled like a child. That twinkle was back in his eyes. It was good to see.

"Took you long enough."

"Come on! All you had to do was put on a shirt and pants and a wig. I had to try fitting into this thing and all that makeup was hard, OK?"

"I had to put on makeup too," she scoffed. It may not have been as complex as Jamie's, but unlike her brother when he wore that same costume she actually made her skin unnaturally pale. "And you know how hard it was to tuck all of my hair into that wig?"

"Alright, alright. I'm slow. But how does it look?"

"Like Jack Skellington ate too much candies and grew some hair," she said with a grin. Jamie sulked. "Don't worry. You look awesome. What about me?"

"Like a girl pretending to be Jack Frost." He likely meant to sound taunting, but the effect was lost at the nostalgia that tinted his voice and softened his features. Sophie had not just dressed as Jack Frost, she was actually wearing his own costume. She was trying to get him to remember. It wasn't her first try.

It had been a shock, realizing Jamie no longer believed. She tried talking to him about the Guardians, reminding him of everything, but he just shook his head and told her she was getting a bit old to live in her own little fantasy world. He would tell her she was being childish whenever she brought it up. But Sophie did not miss the slightly envious look on his face every time. She did not miss how, sometime, he looked a little lost, like he was missing something but couldn't figure out what. Like right now.

"Jamie?"

He laughed a little and patted her wig. His smile was a little forced.

"Sometime I wish I was your age, Soph. I could go trick-or-treating without people rolling their eyes at me." The doorbell rang again before she could find an answer. "Sorry I kept you waiting. You can go, now. Have fun."

"Right. You better have fun too."

* * *

Sophie wandered the streets of Burgess, not too interested in actually collecting candies. She watched the children instead. Most were younger than her. All had big grins on their faces as they ran from door to door. It brought a smile back to her own face. She hadn't been smiling enough, lately.

With Jamie thinking that the Guardians were just her own childish fantasies, she had felt very isolated. Her own friends no longer believed and he had been the only one she still had to speak to about such things. The only one keeping her from thinking she was just crazy. If at least Jack was around, it would be easier. But he wasn't. Not yet, at least.

"Jack Frost?"

Her head shot up when she heard the name, looking around to find the young Guardian. She saw a boy looking at her with wide eyes full of wonder. They were both disappointed to realize their mistake.

"Oh. You're not Jack Frost."

"Sorry, kid. Jack isn't back yet," she said with a little smile, ruffling his hair. Remembering the first time she had seen him on Halloween, she fished a candy from her own mostly empty bag and dropped it in his own. She leaned her staff on her shoulder, giving him her best imitation of Jack's grin.

"Happy Halloween, kiddo."

The kid's laughter was certainly worth the loss of a single candy. She could tell why Jack had amused himself by doing this a few times. She remembered the last winter, how Jack had said he would take over Halloween. He was nowhere to be found, this year. She wondered if he actually would. It made her sad to think Jamie would never know.

* * *

Jack's lake looked wrong to her, it water not frozen and colorful leaves scattered around the ground. She usually never came here when Jack wasn't around. She didn't know why she was here tonight. Maybe she secretly hoped that the Guardian had returned and was simply being discrete. Even if he did give them a snow day, the lake would have been frozen. It wasn't. She had not really expected it to be.

Did Jack know? She hoped he did. She could not imagine how much it would hurt to come here and realize that Jamie couldn't see or hear him anymore. But would he know why? Sophie didn't. Jamie had been acting odd all summer, staying locked in his room most of the time. She didn't know what happened to make him stop believing. She wondered if they had a fight. But over what? Even if he wasn't an impressionable child anymore, Jamie never seemed to disagree with anything Jack ever said or did. He was still very much his childhood hero.

"What happened, Jack?"

Only the silence answered her. Sophie worried Jack might not come back. Maybe he would prefer to stay away from Burgess and his friend who did not remember him. This frightened her. Jack's presence every winter had become something she felt she could rely on. Now, with Jamie acting like the Guardians weren't real, she wasn't sure what would happen to her own belief if Jack suddenly disappeared from her life.

Would she start doubting? Thinking she was just crazy? Was that how her bother had forgotten? Had he started to doubt his sanity until he convinced himself he had imagined everything? That would explain why he looked so anxious since Jack left in the spring. Sophie was not ready to stop believing.

"Jack, please come back."

* * *

**This is the first of likely four chapters. It was originally supposed to be a single chapter with several short scenes with Sophie visiting the lake like Bunny mentioned in _Closure_, but I kept adding to it, so I cut it. So you get a little arc instead.**


	72. Please Remember

**Part two of the Sophie arc.**

**EDIT: Sorry I keep forgetting to put back the linebreaks**

* * *

"Jamie, will you cut paper snowflakes with me?" Sophie asked, placing several pieces of paper on the kitchen table as Jamie finished breakfast.

"Snowflakes? Er, sure, I guess." He picked up one of the sheets of paper and turned it in his hands, frowning at it as he tried to remember how to do this.

"We used to do this together every fall, remember? While we waited for snow. It's been a few years."

"Right. Because of the blizzard. We didn't need fake snow that year. And it snowed early the year after."

"You remember the blizzard?"

"Why are you so surprised? It was a freak storm on Halloween, it's hard to forget."

"Right. So, you're cutting this or not?"

She looked at him carefully as he hesitated on how to fold his piece of paper. She almost cheered when he did it the way Jack had taught them years ago. Every small victory counted. She hoped she could get Jamie to remember everything before Jack came back. Then things could go back to normal.

Satisfied with that plan, she started working on her own snowflake. She had gotten pretty good at that. They both had. But she was still better than Jamie. She usually made a point of teasing him about it, like the good little sister that she was. That was not nearly as appealing today as it usually was. She'd rather tease him about that sorry excuse of a beard he was trying to grow.

A rustle of paper distracted her from her attempt to find the perfect comment she could direct at Jamie's fuzzy facial hair. She watched with interest as her brother unfolded the piece of paper, holding it up for a better look. He stared at it for a long time, his expression unreadable. Sophie held her breath. She was startled when he let go of the snowflake and abruptly stood up.

"Jamie?"

"I'm not feeling so good. Sorry, Soph. I'll be in my room," he said in a rush. He looked both confused and upset and obviously wanted to be anywhere else.

Before she could protest, Jamie left the kitchen and all but ran up the stairs. Sophie lowered her eyes. Her own still folded paper snowflake laid on the table, but she did not even want to look at it. She felt bad now for trying to force Jamie to remember. He looked more upset every time. She realized that she was making him unhappy. She knew she was being selfish. But she wanted her big brother back. Jamie felt like a stranger to her, lately.

* * *

Leaving for Burgess had been a hard decision for all of the wrong reasons. Jack would think he was getting soft, Bunny told himself. He'd make fun of him. The Pooka was never comfortable admitting he cared, especially not for the mischievous Spirit of Winter. It just didn't sit well with him. He knew this overly prideful attitude had caused problems at least once before. He wouldn't soon forget Jack's fake amnesia joke. He had to acknowledge that he was partly to blame for it.

It was this memory that convinced him to leave the Warrens. Jack was like an annoying little brother and he should be there for him when he needed someone. The kid was bound to be upset. Bunny was, even if he would never say so. But he was also more prepared to deal with this. But Jack... Jamie had been the first to ever believe in him. He didn't know how the kid was taking it. He didn't even know where he was. No one had seen him since his visit to the Tooth Palace.

He gathered enough material to keep himself busy for a while if Jack didn't return home soon. He would usually be there by now. Maybe he was, but Bunny hoped not. He wanted to get to Burgess first. He would know soon enough. He tapped his foot to the ground and jumped in the tunnel.

The small lake was silent and deserted when he reached it. He sniffed the air. The most obvious smell was that of decaying leaves typical to fall. He could detect Jack's scent as well, but that did not mean much here. Bunny didn't know if the whole place smelled like Jack or if Jack smelled like the place he called home. Both, likely. But the lake was not frozen and not a single speck of snow was to be seen. Jack wasn't here.

This both satisfied and frightened Bunny. On one hand, it meant he would be there whenever the young Guardian decided to show up. On the other hand, he still had no idea where he was. He could be sitting on an ice sheet in Antarctica for all he knew. That did not sit well with him.

But there was nothing to be done about that right now. Jack would come back when he felt ready to and Bunny would just have to respect that. For now, there was someone else he meant to check up on. He hid his art supplies under a bush on the forested side of the lake before bounding away to the Bennett's house. Jack was not the only one he was worried for. It was unusual for someone to believe as long as Jamie had, or to be as closed to a Guardian. It was a big part of his life he would need to try to rationalize. t would get easier with time, but for now he might not be handling it too well.

That suspicion was soon proven correct when he peeked in the kitchen. Jamie was facing him, holding up a paper snowflake and having what looked from here like a minor breakdown. Little Sophie was there as well, but he could only see the back of her head. As Jamie let go of the snowflake and stood, he briefly looked right through Bunny. It felt like a stab in the heart, even if he had known.

Sophie slumped in her own chair after her brother left. He could only imagine what it must be like for the little girl. He did not want to see her sad. He knocked on the window to get her attention, feeling warmth spread through him when she turned and a bright smile graced her lips as she recognized him. She stood and dashed to the door, throwing it open and running outside in her pajamas. That certainly brought back memories, even if she was a lot taller than she used to be. Sophie threw her arms around him, holding on as if her life depended on it.

"Hey there, little ankle-biter." The name wasn't really appropriate anymore, but it brought a little laugh out of her. He rubbed her back as he felt tears in his fur.

"B-Bunny... Jamie, he—he doesn't believe anymore. I tried—I tried to get him to remember but... he just says I'm too old to believe in fairy tales."

"I know."

She sniffled and looked up at him. He could tell the past few weeks had been hard on her.

"Does Jack know?"

"Yes."

"Is he angry?"

"Of course not. Sophie, listen to me. It had to happen. As he got older, it could have been damaging to his sanity to keep believing. He'll be happier if he just let it all go from memories to simple fantasies. Jack knew that. If what North told me is true, he told Jamie that."

Sophie looked at him with wide eyes as she processed what he just told her. She took a deep breath in.

"I... get it. I... I'll let him forget too."

* * *

**I had to do some small edit to _Closure_ to fit with the previous chapter. I really should have re-read it before starting this arc, not after. I didn't realize I had established how Sophie learned her brother didn't believe anymore. Reading old chapters really feels like I'm reading someone else's story. I also get the impression that my writing has been getting worse rather than better. Ah, well.**


	73. A Talk With A Rabbit

**Wow! I have over a thousand reviews, now! How did that happen? Oh, right. I did post over 70 chapters. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love you guys. You're the reason this thing still exist.**

**Part three of the Sophie arc.**

* * *

Bunny tried to capture the scene in front of him as faithfully as possible on the canvas. Sophie distractedly stirred the fallen leaves in the chilly water of Jack's lake, the late afternoon's light casting everything in warm, golden tones. He told himself he was merely doing this because it made for a beautiful picture and he was fond of the girl. He ignored the small part of his brain telling him he just wanted a memento, for when he wouldn't be able to speak with her anymore. He did not want to think about that right now. He dipped the brush back into the paint.

Sophie had been visiting a lot since he settled here to wait for Jack. It was already mid-December and the winter spirit was yet to be seen. It was starting to worry him. And he didn't doubt it worried Sophie as well. She had been reminiscing about the good times they had together a lot, lately, and Bunny did not like the way she spoke like it was all over. Like she would never get to laugh with the Guardian of Fun again.

"Did you ever know about the time Jack handed out chocolate eggs while wearing bunny ears?" she asked with a fond smile. "I think he was supposed to be you."

Bunny scoffed at that. He knew about it all right. He had made sure to let the kid know what he thought about it.

"That was a sorry excuse of a costume. Didn't look one bit like me. Barely any effort."

"The chocolates were really good." She smiled at him. He sat a little straighter.

"Of course they were good. He got them from me. You won't find any better chocolate than mines, whatever that fool, Cupid, thinks. But he didn't bother telling me he would use them to make fun of me."

"Make fun of you? I thought it was meant to be a homage."

"From Jack Frost? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not. He likes you a lot."

Bunny scoffed again and turned his attention back to his painting. Maybe Frostbite did like him, but that did not mean he didn't go out of his way to tease him. He had no intentions of getting into an argument over that with Sophie, though. She went back to staring absent-mindedly across the lake, her fingers still playing with the autumn leaves.

"It was the first time Jack was coming to Burgess without making snow for us. I bugged Jamie into cutting some paper snowflakes with me. Jack snowed us how to do it right. He had rainbow hair, for some reason."

Bunny snickered at that. He wished he had seen it.

"Did you take a photo?"

"No. I gave him Jamie's wig. He was dressed up as Jack Frost for Halloween."

"Why Jack Frost, eh? Why doesn't anyone ever dresses as the Easter Bunny? Other than Frostbite, I mean."

"I did it last year, " Sophie said with another bright smile. "I'll made some boomerangs, too."

"And no one told me? Snowflake must have been jealous," Bunny said with a satisfied smirk. He wished he had seen that.

"Bunny...is he ever going to come back?" she asked, biting her lip. Bunny knew why she was wondering that, of course. He couldn't deny that it had crossed his mind that Jack would want to stay away. To avoid the pain of seeing his first believer look right through him. As much as he wanted to go find the kid and drag him here to give Sophie a hug, he couldn't say he would blame him if he didn't come back.

"Burgess is his home too." There was a long moment of silence as Sophie stared at the leaves in the still unfrozen water.

"You'll take care of him, won't you?"

"Jack? I'm going to start thinking you have a crush on him," he said, not really wanting to answer the question. Of course, he'd take care of him. That didn't mean he wanted to say it out loud. To his surprise, Sophie seemed to seriously consider what he said.

"Maybe we all had a kind of childhood crush on him. He was our centuries old friend who could fly and make it snow. It was magical. And a little intimidating. I guess we were all a little star struck. Even Jamie, who considered him his best friend. Maybe especially Jamie. Jack was is childhood hero."

Bunny snorted at that. He doubted Jamie would approve of his sister calling his hero worship a crush.

"Oh? What about me? You don't look too intimidated by me."

"Of course not. You're a fluffy bunny," she answered. She laughed at Bunny's indignation. "So? You'll take care of him?"

He mumbled an affirmation, his eyes trained on the canvas. She seemed satisfied by that, returning her eyes to the lake. She started pulling leaves out of the water and piling them on the shore.

"How's your brother?" he asked. He wasn't just trying to fill the silence. He really wanted to know how Jamie was doing. In his long time as a Guardian, he had a pretty good understanding of what happened when children stopped to believe and how difficult Jamie's particular situation would be. He understood that a lot better than Jack. And he owed Jamie one. The least he could do is make sure he was all right.

"He's doing better. He smiles a lot more, now. He's less confused. And I think he's seeing a girl, but he won't admit it." She pouted at that last point, like she had been trying to get a confession out of her brother and failed.

"That's good," he said, nodding. The last thing he wanted was for Jack to come back and find Jamie all lost and confused. The kid would just blame himself for it. It would hurt enough as it is. "Might be better if you don't say too much about how Jamie was earlier to Jack when you see him, if you know what I mean."

He could tell that she did, in the way she nodded solemnly to him. Bunny put the finishing touches on his painting. A small part of him wondered if Jack would come visit him in the Warrens when Sophie stopped believing. To see how he was doing. The rest of him wanted to throw himself in the lake for wanting him to.

* * *

**Sorry if absolutely nothing is happening this chapter. I have only one more for this and it should be short (but Jack will finally make an appearance in this arc as more than a subject of conversation). Then I'm likely to disappear for a month, as I said I would. But I'll try to have something for Easter. But don't hold your breath, I have done next to no planning for all the writing I need to do next month and that'll be my last day to do it.**


	74. Still There

**Last part of the Sophie arc.**

* * *

Sophie hated whoever came up with the idea of mathematics. Or rather, she hated whoever decided it should be thought to children. She did not care if adults wanted to do maths. She was an open-minded person. She accepted that some people had truly strange tastes. But they should not force them on poor, helpless children. That was just mean.

She let her head fall against her textbook, trying to force the fractions directly into her brain that way. All she got for her troubles was a headache. Groaning, she raised her head and wistfully looked out the window, wishing she could be out there having a snowball fight with her friends instead of cooped up in here. But she would need snow for that and she was still waiting for it. Today was the last day of fall and there was still no snow.

Or at least there hadn't been, last time she looked out the window. But that had changed, now. She sat straighter, her eyes widening as big white puffs of snow fell outside. She shot to her feet, ran to the window and threw it open. She extended a hand, letting it fall on her fingers. She knew that snow. It was Jack's snow.

She bolted out of the room and down the stair, slipping in her haste and tumbling down the last few steps. She barely slowed down, getting back to her feet before even registering the pain where she would no doubt have bruises soon. She only stopped long enough to shove her feet in her shoes, not bothering to tie the laces. She was out of the front door in minutes, shouting something about snow to her puzzled mother.

She did end up having to stop and tie her shoes after tripping for the third time. She decided she would get there faster if she spent less time lying on the sidewalk. Just as she jumped back to her feet to sprint to the lake, she ran straight into someone's chest. A hand grabbed her arm to keep her from falling again.

"Ow! Sophie, where are you going so fast?"

"Jaime! I, er, it's snowing!"

She did not expect him to really understand what she meant and he was obviously a little baffled. But Jamie hadn't forgotten everything having to do with Jack Frost. He had only forgotten that the Guardian himself was real. He still remember how he used to get so excited at the first snow. His expression soon change to a soft smile.

"That's right. The first snow came pretty late this year, didn't it? But that doesn't answer my question."

"I'm going to the lake. To see if it's frozen."

"You want me to come with you?"

Jamie's question surprised her. She stared at him for a long moment, thinking hard. She realized that the best chance she possibly had of getting her brother to start believing again was to get him to Jack and get the Guardian to do something magical and extraordinary. But would Jack cooperate? Likely not. He had wanted this to happen. And she told Bunny she would let him forget.

"I can check it alone. But you'll come to skate with me later, right?"

"Of course. Just be careful. The ice isn't going to just freeze this quick."

Sophie disagreed, but she nodded to him anyway. She gave Jamie a brief hug and started running again. She heard her brother shout at her to slow down before she hurt herself. She ignored him. She had a winter spirit to find.

Her last sprint to the lake didn't take long. She managed not to fall or bump into anyone else. But the closer she got, the more she feared that she wouldn't actually find Jack there. Maybe he wouldn't want to see her. Maybe he was hiding somewhere. Maybe he already left. She hoped Bunny at least would be there. He could tell her if he had seen the Guardian. Hopefully, he wouldn't let him leave without saying "hi" to her. She slowed down when the small lake came in sight, hesitant to see whether or not the Guardian of Fun was there.

The lake was frozen. She saw the afternoon light reflect upon it's surface. There was no one in sight, but Bunny had settle among the trees to paint. If Jack was here, that would most likely be where. She hesitantly went around the frozen water, peering trough the branches at the spot where she had previously spoken with the Easter Bunny. She did see him there. And Jack as well, to her relief.

Despite her urge to run up to the Guardian and hug him, she hesitated again when she saw the two of them sitting on the frozen lake shore. Jack had his face buried into Bunny's fur and the other Guardian was rubbing his back to comfort him. She was obviously intruding on a private moment. The sensible thing to do would be to walk away and come back later. But would Jack still be there? Or would he leave? She was afraid that this may be her only chance to speak to him. Her decision was taken for her as they both raised their head and turned to face her. She stood there like someone who had just been caught spying.

"Oh, er, hi! Sorry to bother you. I'll go now."

"Wait, Sophie," Jack said softly. "You're not bothering anyone."

"R-really?"

"Well you sure ain't bothering me," Bunny answered. She smiled a little at that. Jack stood and walked up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Sorry if this hasn't been easy for you, Soph."

The last thing she wanted was for him to apologize to her. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. When he startled, she held him tighter. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up at him.

"I'm still here for you, you know?" she said. He stared at her a long moment before giving her a hesitant smile.

"I know."

* * *

**The ending was refusing to cooperate with me. But that's it for this arc! Unless I decide to write more when I come back in May. We'll see.**

**I almost didn't finish writing this because I got ridiculously distracted by playing Candy Crush.**


	75. Easter Egg Hunt

**This takes place between _Lullaby _and _Artistic Contemplation_. **

* * *

"Jamie, Hurry up! There's not going to be any eggs left."

Jamie rubbed his eyes, yawning. It was way too early to be out here on a Sunday morning. He didn't know how Sophie could be so awake. Must be something about being a kid. He used to be the same.

"Calm down, Soph, it's still early. There'll be plenty left."

The park soon came into view, with it's large sign held up with yellow and purple ribbons announcing the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. Kids ran around, looking under bushes and in flower beds. Sophie sprinted to join them, as if they would find the very last egg in the time it would have taken her to walk there. Jamie shook his head and continued at a more moderate pace. There was no emergency. The eggs were hidden there for the kids and, at fourteen, Jamie Bennett was not a kid anymore. Whatever his mother thought. So he would leave them the eggs and just watch.

He wasn't the only one with that idea, he discovered soon. In addition to the parents accompanying the younger kids, he saw a familiar girl sitting on a bench, holding a book that she wasn't actually reading. Grinning, he waved at her.

"Good morning, Cupcake!"

"Good morning Jam—" Her own greeting was cut short when Sophie screeched and ran to hug the bigger girl.

"Cup! I didn't see you."

"I'm not surprised. You looked in a hurry," Cupcake answered, ruffling her hair fondly.

Sophie was always happy to see Cupcake, whenever she came over. The two of them had easily bonded over things such as fairies and unicorns and other such things that Jamie couldn't really comprehend. He usually steered clear during those time for fear of being asked to participate in a princess tea party again. One time had been enough.

"Right! Because I want to find eggs. I need to go, now. Talk to you later!"

And with that, Sophie was gone again. Cupcake laughed and Jamie couldn't help but smile at his sister's enthusiasm. He let himself fall on the bench with an exaggerated sigh.

"Ah, to be so young again."

"What are you talking about? That was exactly you this fall when the first snow came."

"What? I wasn't that over-eager!"

"Yes you were."

"Happy Easter, guys!" a new voice interrupted the argument.

"Jack!" Jaime shouted, jumping to his feet and spinning around to see the Guardian of Fun hovering behind them. "I didn't think you'd come back, you've been gone over a week and it's spring now and—"

He stopped at the sound of Cupcake's laughter. She held her sides, almost bent over as she struggle to catch her breath between peals of uncontrollable laughter. Jaime blushed. All right, maybe he was acting like an over-enthusiastic kid, after all. That was embarrassing. Jack landed on the ground in front of him, looking between him and Cupcake with a bemused smile. Jamie glared at the girl, daring her to explain.

"It's good to see you again, Jack," she said when she caught her breath.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't about to miss the Egg Hunt, I—"

"Jack!"

"Soph!"

Once more, Sophie ran to them for a hug. Jack was looking as excited as she was, peeking into her basket and turning in his hands the few eggs she had managed to gather in this short a time, as if searching for one in particular. The winter spirit had a large grin on his face and a childish, wide-eyed expression. It made Jamie want to grab a basket and start hunting for eggs.

"I managed to make a lot of eggs this time, so look extra hard and you could find one, OK? I'm sure Bunny hid some in Burgess."

"Alright! I'll go look."

And with that, she was off again. Jamie couldn't help but admire her energy. She had been looking forward to the Egg Hunt for weeks. Jack followed her, flying around the park, waving to kids, peering into baskets and sometime cheering when he saw that they had found one of his own, with as much enthusiasm as the kids looking for eggs. When he was done with his exploration, he returned to the bench where Jamie and Cupcake were waiting.

"Do you want a basket?" Jamie asked with a laugh.

"Nah, I promised Bunny I wouldn't touch the eggs. They're for the kids, he always tells me," Jack answered, laughing as well. He didn't seem to mind. "But I can look to see what everyone got. I'm hunting eggs in my own way."

* * *

Jamie almost had to drag Sophie out of the park when it became obvious that no more eggs hid there. In the end, hunger convinced her it was time to go home. So she hugged Cupcake again and followed him. She walked slowly, more concentrated on the content of her basket than on where she was going. Jack floated behind her, looking over her shoulder. After a full inventory of the basket's content, she was disappointed to realize she hadn't found a single one of Jack's eggs.

"But you found more eggs then anyone else, at least," Jack said with an encouraging smile. Sophie smiled back.

"That's because I know the Easter Bunny." Jamie snorted, pushing the fence's door open when they reached their houses. Jack landed lightly on top of the fence as Sophie pushed to door close again.

"Are you leaving, now?" Jamie asked, always reluctant to see his friend go.

"For now, yeah. I'm going back to the Warrens. Someone needs to make sure Bunny isn't already trying to prepare for the next Easter, you know? That Pooka doesn't know how to have fun. But I'll be back. I can give you one more snow day before I leave."

"Give him a hug for me?" Jamie thought that Jack would object to Sophie's request, but a mischievous grin spread on his lips.

"Of course, Soph. I'll give him a hug for you."

Jamie wished he could come to the Warrens and see that. He doubted Bunny would be happy at whatever Jack was planning to do. Shaking his head, he climbed the steps leading to the front door. He was getting hungry as well. Just as he turned to wave Jack goodbye, he spotted something colorful in the potted plant by the door. Curious, he looked closer.

It was an Easter egg, yellow, with purple flowers and little blue dots. There was something familiar about the hard-edged, six-petalled flowers. They looked like they could have been carved from ice and the dots reminded him of falling snow. Jamie held up the egg with a grin.

"I think that's one of yours."

Jack blinked, flew up to him and took a closer look. Sophie came closer as well, curious.

"Yes, it is! Bunny actually hid it here? He must have wanted you two to find it."

What ensued was a complete search of the front yard. If Bunny had hidden an egg here for them, chances were they would find another one.

"Here! I got it, I got it!" Sophie jumped to her feet from the sandbox, proudly holding up her discovery. She inspected it carefully before placing it on top of her other eggs in the basket. Jamie didn't miss the soft smile on Jack's face before he flew back to his perch on the fence.

"I'll be going, now. I've got a bunny to hug."

* * *

**Happy Easter! I ended up cutting an extra scene at the end for lack of time, but I'll write it as a separate chapter when I come back.**

**That's the last chapter for a while. I'll come back some time in May, but likely not at the beginning of the month. I'll likely take a little break from writing after Camp NaNo. So goodbye for now!**


	76. There's A First Time For Everything

**Hey, look! Surprise chapter!**

**This takes place after ****_Artistic Contemplations._**

* * *

Jack was upset. After flying all the way back to Australia to visit the Warrens, he was all but kicked out by a grumpy Bunnymund, who insisted he returned to his lake. _He's just tired, _he told himself. _I'm sure he'll be less grouchy next time I go see him. _It would soon be time to change hemisphere, too. But he had promised the kids one last snow day and he would deliver. But not tonight. After his many flights across the world, he was quite ready to curl up on a tree branch and take a nap.

It was night when the small lake came into view. He made for his favorite tree, the one he liked to sleep in when he did not have a decent enough snow cover to cushion the ground. He landed on the tip of his toes where the branches were too thin to supports the weight of a normal person and made his way toward the trunk, a layer of ice coating the wood where his feet touched it.

With a sigh, he settled down on a thick branch, his back to the tree's trunk, ready to fall asleep. Just as he started to close his eyes, though, he spotted something from the corner of his eyes on the large rocks nearby. Something that did not belong in the familiar landscape. Curious now, he stood back up and kicked off the branch to fly to the foreign object.

He laughed when he landed on the rocks to see a painted egg lying in a hollow on top of the rock, sticking out just enough to have been noticeable from his earlier perch. But what was an egg doing here? The children came to his lake more often, in recent years, but they stayed on the cleared side of the water. It was highly unlikely that they would come to look on the tall rock, where it would not be visible from the ground.

That was when he noticed the egg's design. He gingerly picked it up for a closer look, admiring the delicate painted snowflakes on the pale blue surface. He understood, now, why it was here. This one wasn't meant for the children. A slightly disbelieving smile stretched his lips as he stood, cradling his precious discovery. Was this why Bunny insisted he came back here? So he would find his little gift? But it was only sheer luck that he happened to sit in just the right place to see it before going to sleep. Had he settle down for his nap elsewhere, he would not have found it until after Easter was over.

His eyes widened again when he spotted a new out of place object, in the bush near the thinly frosted water of his lake. He eagerly jumped down and picked up the next egg, this one painted with tall evergreen trees on a moonlit sky background. Unusual for Easter, but appropriate for him. His smile turned into a full-blown grin. Bunny had given him his own egg hunt this year. His very first.

He remembered mentioning to Bunny, while helping him paint eggs, that he had never actually participated in one. It was not long after that that the Pooka insisted he stay during Easter, this year. To keep him from causing trouble, he said. Now he realized that Bunny had needed him away from here, to set this up.

With a child-like laugh, he started to comb the area for more hidden treasures, his fatigue forgotten. He looked in branches, bushes, in hollows on the ground and in every other nooks and crannies of the place he had spent the last three centuries. He found a whole basketful of eggs scattered across the lake, with designs varying from wind-like swirls, frosted trees, moon shapes and even the symbol of the Guardians.

Later that night, he sat by the water with a content smile, his Easter eggs gathered in front of him in a neat little pile. He supposed that, next time he went to Australia, he would have to stop by and give the Easter Bunny his thanks.

* * *

**Since I'm not yet too tired of writing, I decided to write that last scene that didn't make it in the previous chapter. Just so you guys don't forget about me, since last time a took a break for a few weeks I lost most of my regular reviewers and a big chunk of my readers. So don't forget me! I'll be back.**


	77. To Hate Or Not To Hate

**I know, I'm supposed to be on break, but have another chapter.**

**This is a sequel to ****_The Spirit of Halloween._**

* * *

In the darkness of his lair, Pitch Black turned the annoying piece of candy around between his fingers. He hated it. He hated it like he had never thought he could hate an inanimate object. How dare that arrogant little winter spirit just waltz in here and give him a Halloween treat like he was a child? Was he mocking him? Coming here to gloat?

Frustrated, he stalked out of his lair. Maybe he could find a child to scare. He may not have much power anymore, but he could still be the monster under their bed. It was a big step down from swallowing all of the lights in his darkness and that grated, to the point that he did not even want to bother on most days. But right now he just wanted to hear the sweet music of a child's screams of terror.

His mood worsened considerably when he saw the blanket of pristine snow covering the ground and giving his twisted metal bed frame the look of something from a peaceful Christmas card. He started to brush the snow of the black metal with angry movements. That thing had been hard enough to put together, he was not going to let the Guardian ruin it.

"Evening, Pitch."

Pitch's heart almost jumped out of his chest at the unexpected voice. He turned to glare at the Guardian of Fun. He was the one supposed to be scaring people, not this child. Jack Frost looked in a good mood, hovering between the trees with a cheerful smile on his face, his staff resting on his shoulder. He did not look worried in the slightest at being in the Boogeyman's presence. He had no reason to fear him. Pitch glared harder.

"What do you want, Frost."

"Nothing. Can't we just have a polite conversation anymore?"

There had been a time when they could. But that was years ago, when Frost had been much like him. A lonely spirit that no one could see. They may not have been friends, but neither were they enemies. Until he became a Guardian, that is. They had nothing in common anymore.

"No."

The Spirit of Winter threw him a disappointed look and landed in a crouch on the headboard of his bed. Pitch almost expected the whole thing to collapse. But Frost was as good as usual at staying on objects that should not be able to support any real weight.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that. How about we make a snowman?"

"What do you _want_ Frost. And get off my bed."

"I wanted to thank you."

"_Thank_ me?" Was the child mocking him again? "Why?"

"I know you don't want to hear that, but I really owe everything I have to you. If you hadn't tried to destroy the Guardians, I wouldn't be one of them, now. I would not have anyone who believed in me. Even your petty attempts at revenge since then did more good than harm in the end."

If he could, Pitch would have killed him. He should have done that long ago.

"So that's why you're here? To rub salt in the wound? And you say I'm the petty one."

Jack's words on Halloween came back to him unbidden. _"Because you always did believe in me." _He pushed them away. The other spirit sighed.

"No, that's not why I'm here. Look, I get it, you hate me. I can't say that I blame you. But I don't hate you. Not anymore. Eternity is too long to keep hating someone."

"So you're just going to forgive and forget?" he asked in disbelief. He despised the small part of himself that felt glad that there was one person who didn't hate him. He hated Jack even more for making him feel that way.

"No. I won't forget. But I'll forgive."

Pitch stared at the kid for a long moment. Then, he shrugged, pretending it meant nothing to him. It shouldn't mean anything to him. He hated this boy and his opinion was irrelevant. He had to remind himself of how much he hated Jack Frost. And he hated himself for that.

"Very well. If you want to be an idiot, I won't stop you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better thing to do than chat with the likes of you."

He melted back into the shadow of his lair, his earlier plans forgotten. He just wanted to be away from the young Guardian. He needed to leave before Jack Frost said something else he did not want to hear. Against his will, his fingers closed around the familiar snowflake-shaped candy. He chucked it across the room.

* * *

**It's possible that I'll be able to keep updating during the week-ends, but I make no promises. But so far I'm having no problem meeting my word count everyday, so I have some free time to write other stuff. I've been meaning to do this chapter for a long time now. Since the ****_You Will Fear Me _****arc, actually. I think there's some stuff that has been on my list of things to write for even longer (like that "blizzard of '68" story I've been meaning to do from the start).**


	78. Don't Be Sorry

**This is a sequel to ****_A Fateful Gift _****and the ****_Insidious Fear _****arc. It takes place at some point between ****_Once Upon A Time _****and ****_Waiting For Winter _****(which are the two "epilogue" chapters of that arc).**

* * *

North couldn't help it if he had been curious. The information was right here, at the Pole, so how could he not look? He kept careful records of every child he ever made a present for. It was just a matter of figuring out which one of those children was Jack. Then, he could get an idea of who the new Guardian used to be. He had not expected to be so horrified by what he would learn.

He had given the boy a pair of ice skates on two occasions. The first time, when he had been quite young and wanted to go skate with the other children on a small, frozen lake nearby. The second time, the boy had been older, but still a child at heart. He had received a letter in the awkward hand of one not used to writing, thanking him for the wonderful gift he had given him many years ago and telling him of how they should fit his little sister the next winter and he would very much like to bring her skate on the lake like he promised her long ago as soon as the small lake froze.

He had been quite eager to give the boy what he wanted and let him skate with his sister. He remembered, now, how he imagined the two children waiting impatiently for the water to freeze, the joy when they finally got to pull on their skates and get on the ice. But they may have been too impatient. His records indicated that the boy had died before the next Christmas. And now, he knew how.

Jack had told him, when he had just become a Guardian, that he died saving his sister when they went to skate on thin ice. Did he remember where his skates came from? The boy's memories of his former life were a little patchy. He might have forgotten. North could not even begin to figure out how to apologize for that. He should have waited a year. He should have known the children would be too eager. If he had received his skates only on the next Christmas, Jack could not have taken his sister skating before the lake was properly frozen. He should have known better.

For years, he tried to broach the subject with Jack, to apologize for the mistake that had caused the boy's death, but he could never bring himself to. With the boy warming up to them, he was afraid to shatter that still-new trust between them. He felt like a coward, but he simply could not announce to the Jack that not only had he ignored him for the past three centuries, but he was responsible for his situation in the first place.

When he finally did tell him, it was at the worst possible time. Right after that mess when Jack's staff had been infected with fear and the boy had been convinced they hated him.

"Here, I mended your clothes best I could. But it might be time to consider new ones. Those are threadbare, falling apart."

"Thanks, North," Jack said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Really."

"Ah, it is nothing. Just a few stitches," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

Jack inspected the repairs, testing the strength of the stitches, before smiling and pulling his pants back on. He stood, shrugging off the oversized shirt he had been wearing during his convalescence to exchange it for his blue hoodie. It felt good to see Jack looking stronger and seeing him back in his usual outfit helped a lot. It was as if life was back to normal. The Spirit of Winter looked back at him with a grateful smile.

"I meant thanks for everything. For not giving up on me. For helping when I didn't want help. For believing in me."

"Jack, of course we believed in you," he said, placing a large hand on the other Guardian's bony shoulder. "We won't ever give up on you. You are family."

"We're family. And I attacked you."

"Because of Pitch! Jack, do you think we blame you? How can we be mad for you not trusting us, after we abandoned you for so long?"

"North, I was willing to kill you!"

"And _I _did kill you!"

The words were out before he could think better of it. He just couldn't stand to listen to Jack blame himself for what happened. The young Guardian stared at him, baffled.

"North. I drowned. You didn't kill me, I managed that all by myself."

North sighed and squeezed Jack's shoulder. He just hoped that he could forgive him for failing in his duty as a Guardian. For causing the death of a child who had believed in him. He hope Jack could still trust him.

"The skates, Jack. They were gift. Christmas gift. From me."

"I know that—oh. You can't be serious. You think you killed me because you gave me skates?"

"I knew you wanted to skate as soon as lake was frozen. I should have waited next Christmas. Ice would have been thicker on Christmas. I should have known better."

"No, _I _should have known better. I was careless. I put my own sister in danger. The least I could do was get her out of it."

"I am Guardian. I should protect children."

"You can't protect them from their own stupidity," Jack snapped at him before calming. He sighed. "Look, North. I'm dead. So what? Things aren't so bad. Actually, they're pretty good right now."

"Jack..."

"Why do you believe it would have been better if I didn't die? I'd be dead anyway, by now. From what I remember of those times, adults were too busy working to have fun and didn't live very long. I mean, sure it was lonely for three centuries, but that's over. And now is great."

Jack gave him such a sincere smile that it broke North's heart. As much as he had felt guilty before, now he was almost glad he gave him these skates. Otherwise, they would not have the mischievous spirit as part of their little family. And that would be a great shame.

* * *

**So, of course after writing ****_A Fateful Gift_****, I had to do a sequel. Sorry it took that long. I could not figure out how I wanted to do it. I ended up just deciding to write it anyway and see how it'd go. Not sure how good it is. I should be in bed by now. I was only suppose to update in the week-ends. Ah, well.**


	79. I Just Wanted To Help

**This is a sequel to ****_To Hate Or Not To Hate._**** Actually, it's really more a sequel to my "Pitch shops at Ikea" comic. Speaking of which, there will be a comic version of this chapter. Eventually.**

* * *

Jack found it abandoned on the curb. The poor thing looked so pitiful, just sitting there in front of its former home. He could almost imagine it staring up through the window, looking pleadingly at the people who had left it there, alone. Jack knew he must be going crazy, to feel sorry for a mattress.

It was a shame, really. It still looked new. Not one of those fancy modern mattresses that you could throw bowling balls on without waking the sleeper, but it was in good condition. An idea suddenly hit him. He knew of a bed in need of a mattress. He could give it a new home. He hoisted the large object over his head and, avoiding busier streets where something floating in the air would have been noticed even this late at night, he let the wind carry him to the woods.

The extra weight made the ride awkward at best as the wind could not easily carry a heavy object along with him and it was much harder to bounce off buildings and trees, not to mention having to hold his staff against his shoulder with his chin, but he made it. He crash-landed in front of the crooked black metal bed with a smile. He was rather happy with himself. Not only did he not let a perfectly good mattress go to waste, but the Boogeyman would finally have a proper bed to hide under. Maybe he would be a little less bitter. Jack could always hope.

He let the mattress slip from his head and fall in place on the bed. The twisted metal creaked menacingly, but it held on. But the mattress simply rested over the bed frame, the bed being too far from its intended shape to allow it to fall in place. Jack frowned. He pushed down on the it, trying to force it to fit between the boards. An ear shattering metallic sound made him wince. Then, the whole thing collapsed.

Jack stood there, staring at the mess of boards, bars and assorted bed pieces. Even through the mattress now covering it, he could still hear the echo of those that had fallen into the hole, their clanking sounds resonating inside the Boogeyman's lair. Jack swallowed. Pitch wouldn't be happy. When the mattress flew off of the entrance to hit a nearby tree, Jack instinctively ducked behind another tree. He did not want to be the first thing Pitch saw when he assessed the damages.

From his hiding place, he watched as Pitch's shadow slowly stretched out from the hole before pulling itself off the ground, turning into the Boogeyman himself. Pitch looked around with a blank expression that could either mean he was indifferent or furious. It was safer to bet on furious. Pitch slowly raised his eyes to the snowflakes now falling over the woods. Jack cursed himself. It tended to snow when he got nervous.

"Frost. What did you do to my bed."

"I, er, I brought you a mattress," he said, peeking from behind the tree. "Your bed isn't very solid. Wasn't."

"It would have been fine if you had minded your own business and left it alone."

"Oh, come on! It wouldn't have survived the first storm."

Pitch picked up a metal bar and threw it at him. Jack ducked back behind the tree trunk.

"Go away, Frost. Now."

Jack didn't protest. Standing around here wasn't going to fix this mess. He left the angry King of Nightmares to mourn his broken bed in peace. The winter spirit had some shopping to do.

* * *

He hoped this was the right one. It was hard to tell, the model did not really looked like Pitch's. It was all about how you decided to follow the instructions to assemble it, he supposed. Or whether or not you followed them at all. But surely that could not be too hard.

He settled next to Pitch's lair and took the pieces out of their box. Of the previous bed, nothing remained here but the mattress still leaning against the tree. The Boogeyman himself was nowhere to be seen. Jack hoped he could be done with this before he showed up. He tried to be as silent as he could, wincing at every clanking sound the metal pieces made.

One great thing about being a spirit is the ability to simply understand any language even if you had never heard or read it before, but that proved completely useless in trying to decipher the instruction booklet he found in the box. He understood the words well enough, he just did not have a clue on how to carry out what they were telling him to do. He looked up at the Moon, pleading for help.

"How do I do this? Help me!"

The Moon was no more willing to tell him how to assemble a bed than it had been to tell him the reason of his existence. It merely watched him, inscrutable, as he failed to accomplish this simple task.

"You're a lousy parent, you know that?"

"What did you expect, Frost? For the Moon to come down from the sky to teach you how to put together furniture?"

Pitch's voice startled him so much that he dropped Rod C back into the pile of other rods. The Boogeyman stood next to the hole in the ground with his arms crossed, staring at him with something between anger, disgust, amusement and curiosity. The last two were slightly encouraging. Jack gave him a nervous smile.

"Nah. I think the Man in the Moon doesn't know how to do this either. These things just make no sense."

A small smile played at the edges of Pitch's mouth for half a second before it turned into a scowl.

"What are you doing here, Frost?"

"Making you a new bed, since I broke the last one."

Pitch looked at a loss of what to answer, as if he had not expected such a straightforward answer. Jack turned his attention back to the instruction booklet, picking Rod C back up. Or was this Rod D? He looked several times between it and the page in front of him, shaking his head.

"Too hard for you, Frost?"

"I can do this."

Pitch smirked this time, highly amused at seeing him fail. He walked to the mattress and pulled it off of the tree, letting it fall to the ground before sitting on it. He crossed his long legs and settled down to watch. It made Jack's job a lot harder. Every time he tried to put two piece together, he was acutely aware of his audience judging him, snorting whenever it did not fit, making snarky comment when he spent too long without successfully following a step. It took most of the night to put the damned thing together. But, finally, it was done.

He stood back proudly taking a moment to look at his accomplishment. Then, he pushed the bed back in its place over the entrance to Pitch's lair. The Boogeyman stood and wandered over, gazing at it with a critical frown. The bed looked exactly like it was supposed to, like the model in the store had. To prove it was solid, Jack went to pick up the mattress and pulled it in place, then he jumped on the bed a few times before Pitch shooed him off. The other spirit crossed his arms and turned his back to him and the new bed.

"I liked the old one better. It was more worthy to guard the entrance of the Boogeyman's lair."

Jack sighed.

"Sorry. I tried. I'll just... go back to my lake, then."

He left with his eyes trained on the ground, saddened that he hadn't been able to do any good after all.

* * *

Pitch stood there staring at the new bed long after the Guardian of Fun had left. He was not in a hurry to return to his lair. There was nothing to do there, after all. He sat on the edge of the bed, then laid down. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. He might as well test this stupid thing. It held his weight, something the old one wouldn't have done. He laid there until the morning came, simply enjoying the quiet of the night and observing the stars like he hadn't taken the time to do in a long time.

From that starry sky above, the Moon shone down on him. And Pitch didn't even care.

* * *

**I'd like to say to everyone who send suggestion/requests that I do note them down, but it can take me a while to get to them. I just write whatever inspire me most at any given time, so some stuff can stay on my list for a long time before I get to it, especially if I'm not sure how to do it. So don't give up hope if it looks like I won't do your suggestion, I might just be taking forever. And feel free to send more. The more ideas, the easier it is o actually write something. **

**In other news, I'll try to go back to adult Jamie this week-end. And I may or may not answer the "Does Sophie still believe" question soon. If I can get around to it. I have way to many things to do, so I procrastinate instead. And write silly chapters about Ikea beds.**


	80. Now Or Never

**Part one of a new little arc that wasn't supposed to be an arc but somehow ended up being one.**

* * *

They were already well into spring, yet it was snowing outside. Not just a little bit of snow, either. A small snowstorm. Sophie frowned. This wasn't the kind of heavy snowfall they got when Jack decided to stop by on his way south to give them one last snow day. No, this particular snowstorm meant the Spirit of Winter was upset.

She pulled on her coat and her boots, wondering what happened. Had he gone south already and come back? Maybe he had gotten into an argument with Bunny. But they rarely resulted in him coming all the way back here to sulk. Maybe this one had been pretty bad. She ran, getting upset over knowing Jack was upset.

What she found at the lake wasn't what she expected. At least she wasn't expecting it at the moment. But she had known it was coming. She sighed, walking the last few steps separating her from where the winter spirit and the Pooka sat by the frozen water. Bunny was rubbing his arms in the cold, but he wasn't actually complaining.

"Hey, Bunny! Jack!" She tried to sound more enthusiastic than she was, but she wasn't sure she pulled it off.

The two Guardian exchanged a look before Jack pushed Bunny slightly. The Pooka grumbled and stood, turning to face her.

"Hey, there, Sophie. I hope you liked Easter this year."

"It was great."

There was a moment of silence as Bunny and Sophie both looked at their feet, neither willing to speak of what actually mattered. Jack sighed and stood as well.

"Hey, Sophie. I'm gonna be leaving for the summer. Be good, alright?"

She laughed a little at that.

"I'm good when you're not around, Jack."

Jack chuckled. Bunny narrowed his eyes at him, likely wondering if the Guardian was a bad influence on her or something. The atmosphere was not quite as tense as it had been a moment ago. Sophie took a deep breath and decided to cautiously approach the subject.

"So, you came to say goodbye?"

"Yeah. _We _came to say goodbye."

"I said I would do this, Snowflake."

"Well, do it, then!"

Bunny cleared his throat and shuffled in place. Then, he placed both furry hands on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Sophie. I know it can be hard to accept, but you're not really a child anymore. And before the year ends, you'll be an adult. It's time... I mean... What I'm trying to say is—"

"I get it."

"You do?"

"You're saying it's time I stop believing in you. In all of the Guardians."

Bunny and Jack exchanged a look. The younger Guardian gave the other an encouraging nod. Bunny looked back at her, a little misty eyes.

"So, you understand what we're asking you? That you... let go?"

Sophie had known this would upset them. She remembered how it had been, when her brother had stopped believing. She knew she wasn't ready for that. She might never be. But she could not just tell them that. She didn't want to hurt anyone just because she wanted to be a child forever.

"I understand."

"So, you'll do it?"

"How do I do that? How do I just stop believing?"

"You only need to want to," Jack answered. "It's not like if you tried to stop believing your mother exist. We're not meant to be believed in forever."

They both looked so sad, like they wished they could stay with the children they cared for long after they had stopped being children. Sophie drew them both into a hug. It might be the last chance she got. They shifted a little until they weren't so uncomfortably squished against each other before returning the hug. No one spoke a for several long moment. She was in no hurry to move.

"Promise me one thing." Sophie said, breaking the long silence.

"What?" they both asked at the same time.

"Never let me walk through you. Ever."

"It's a promise," Bunny said

They sat back near the water, still holding on to each other, and watched the sun set. She woke up in her bed later, not remembering falling asleep. She walked to the window. It had stopped snowing outside.

"So I guess this is goodbye, then."

* * *

Bunny had not spoken since they had returned to the Warrens. He sat on a grassy hill, holding his sketchbook. For all the time he had spent there, all he had actually sketched was a sunset. Jack just didn't know what to do. So he sat next the Pooka, trying to be silently supportive.

Losing Sophie was hard on all of them. They had grown fond of the girl when she had somehow found herself in the Warrens, all those years ago. She was the one who had reminded the older Guardians what it was like to actually spend time with children. Bunny had been especially close to her, perhaps because she was such a fan of him. He would asked Jack about her when he visited and even sometime leave the Warrens to go see her, always finding some excuse to be in the area. But that would be over, now. The Easter Bunny stared at his sunset, not speaking.

"Bunny... are you going to come back with me when I return north? To visit Burgess one last time?"

Bunny stayed silent for such a long time that Jack wondered if speaking about that had been a good idea. But, finally, the Pooka heaved a sigh, lowering his head and bringing the sketchbook to his chest.

"I'll come. One last time."

Jack nodded. It would do Bunny some good, to see her one last time. And to confirm that it was over. At least he hoped it would. Jack sighed. He would miss Sophie. He would still see her often, in Burgess, so at least he could keep an eye on her, but he would miss her coming to his lake to hug him after the first snow. But, after Jamie, he had been prepared for it. It still hurt, but he had come to term with the situation years ago. He could handle this.

One thing he could not handle too easily, however, was the heavy silence hanging over the Warrens. He was the Guardian of Fun, it was hard to sit next to someone so gloomy and do nothing about it. He should be doing something about it. Without warning, he threw his arms over the Pooka, startling him.

"What the—"

"Easter Bunny, hop, hop hop!"

Bunny snorted, planted his hand on top of Jack's head and tried to push him away. Jack hung on.

"Get off me, Frostbite! Now, before I throw you in a paint lake again."

Jack smiled against the Pooka's fur. Bunny was back too his usual grouchy self. This felt like a victory.

* * *

**Why is it that, when I try to do something with Sophie, it always ends up longer than it should be? So, have a new arc. That's what I'll be doing this week-end, it seems. I wished I had time to write more, but I spent several hours making a digital hair painting tutorial and ran out of time. Looks like my little comic will wait a bit, too. There's not enough hours in a day and not enough days in a week-end.**

**Also, there's a ridiculous amount of sighing going on in this chapter.**


	81. Bittersweet

**Part 2 of the ****_Now Or Never_**** arc.**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to go check at the Pole first? To look at the Globe? Just to be sure?"

"Let's get going. Last thing I want is for North to think I can't handle this."

"That's why I'm offering to go."

"Kids stop believing all the time, Snowflake."

Bunny didn't give Jack time to answer. He tapped his foot on the ground, opened a rabbit hole and jumped into it. Jack had no choice but to follow if he didn't want to fly all the way back to Burgess. It was late October and Bunny had declared it was more than time he let spring come to this part of the world, which had been experiencing an uncommonly long winter as Jack stayed around, unwilling to leave until Bunny was ready to come with him. He was getting ready for Halloween here in the Warrens. The kids would be getting chocolate, this year. In the end, the Pooka had gotten tired of the snow. And so they were going to Burgess.

They arrived next to Jack's lake and he wasted no time in running to the water, letting it freeze under his feet. It felt like it was welcoming him home. Despite everything, he laughed as he let the crook of his staff slide against the ice, creating patterns of frost. When he turned to face Bunny, the Pooka was sitting next to the frozen water, shaking his head. Jack gave him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. We should go find Sophie, right?"

"Just give us some snow. We'll see if she come."

"You're asking me for snow? You? Who are you and what did you do to Bunny?"

"Just do it, will you?"

"I'm doing it already."

"Oh. Good."

Bunny sat on the edge of the lake to wait. It didn't take long before he started to shiver, but he could hardly complain about the cold. He was the one who asked for snow, after all. Jack considered getting him hot cocoa. He knew some kids who could make some for him. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave. What if Sophie did come and he wasn't there? He didn't know how Bunny would react. But would she come if she still believe? She told them she would let go, after all. But she might come here even if she no longer believe. Out of habit.

Jack decided against leaving and he sat on a large rock near the water, just far enough from Bunny to avoid making him even colder. They waited in silence for maybe an hour, before Bunny stood again. He rubbed his hand against his arms.

"Alright. This is cold. Let's go find her."

Bunny bounded in the direction of Sophie's home, Jack flying a little behind him. When they got there, Bunny hesitated a little before entering the courtyard. Neither of them were very eager to confirm that the girl no longer believed. But they still had to make sure, so they looked through every windows, trying to find her. She was not in her room, nor anywhere else they could see. They only saw Ms Bennett, cooking dinner.

"There's footprints in the snow," Jack noted. "She must have left."

"Left where? Not to the lake, we would have seen her."

They followed the footprints away from the house. They were partially covered in freshly fallen snow, but still easy to see, especially for the winter spirit. And soon, he knew exactly where they were going.

"She went to Jamie's house."

"Maybe he invited her to dinner?" Bunny said, sniffing the air. "I think I smell carrots. Steamed."

"Yeah, I'm sure she was drawn there by the carrots," Jack mocked.

They heard the laughter before they saw Jamie and Sophie. It was the unmistaken sound of a snowball fight. He felt the corner of his mouth curl up. It turned into a full-blown smile when they came in sight of the siblings. Sophie had just dragged Jamie outside and was pelting him with snow. He tried to run after her, his unlaced boots almost falling off his feet, throwing some snowballs of his own.

"At least they're having fun."

Before Bunny could reply, a misdirected snowball hit him in the face. Jack stifled a laugh. Neither Jamie nor Sophie turned to see where it had landed. Bunny shook the snow off, narrowing his eyes at Jack like he was somehow responsible.

"Hey, this one wasn't me!"

"So you always say."

It was getting obvious that they weren't seen, but Jack called Sophie's name anyway. She did not turn. She just gathered a new handful of snow and started to press it between her hands to form a new snowball, ducking to avoid the one thrown at her head. Jack turned to look at Bunny. The Pooka was staring at the snow slowly covering his feet, his long ears hanging down in disappointment. They both knew this was for the best, but a small part of them still wished it wouldn't happen. But at least they could see she was happy.

"I'm going back to the Warrens. It's cold out here."

"Hey. I'll come back with you. Just to give Australia one last snowstorm this year, you know?"

Bunny grumbled, but he did not keep him from following.

* * *

Sophie laughed when Jamie shook the snow out of his coat while he climbed up the stair to go back inside. It had been too long since they had this much fun together. And it had been fun, even if she was pretty sad. She looked at the place where the two Guardian had been standing earlier and smiled a little.

"I'm sorry, you know? I just couldn't do it. I know I'm being childish. And I know it would hurt you if you knew. Because you think it's bad for me. But what you don't know can't hurt you."

* * *

**There should be just one more part to this. I think. In other news, I finished the first part of my "Jack just wanted to help" comic, in which Jack tries to fit a mattress in Pitch's bed. The link is on my profile (or just look up "sisaat" on either tumblr or deviantart). And that's it for this week-end. Feel free to go complain to whoever decided week-ends were two days long. I don't have time to write a full arc.**


	82. Playing The Game

**Last part of the ****_Now Or Never _****arc. I'm updating today because I didn't want to let this wait a week.**

* * *

After leaving the Warrens, Jack was too busy to think about Sophie very much. Halloween was coming and, while he did not have nearly has much last minute preparations to make as North or Bunny did for their respective holiday, there was more to it than making sure he had enough candies for every children. He had weather patterns to mess with, to make sure that no storm would keep the children from trick-or-treating. Weather patterns could be delicate things. Most would only be pushed away at the last moment, but he had to figure out where storms would hit and plan accordingly.

Even with all the flying around the world he was doing, he eventually had to go to the Pole. There was a mound of chocolate waiting for him in the Warrens and he would need the bottomless pockets of his cloak to go pick them up. While he was there, he needed to try on his costume, to make sure that it didn't need repairs. The workshop was busy, as usual this time of the year, but not nearly as frantic as it would be in another month.

"Hey, Phil! How's it going? You sure about that red, Fred? I'd go for blue."

He flitted around the many tables littered with toys in various stages of construction, avoiding various flying objects and the brush Fred threw at his head. The yeti could be very touchy. He stopped by North's office before going anywhere else. He couldn't just come here without even greeting the other Guardian, especially after not seeing him for many months. He flew to the large door and banged his staff against it, requesting permission to enter.

"What now? Did elves burn something again?"

Jack chuckled and pushed the door open, peeking in. North sat at his desk in front of a large block of ice, working on it with his carving tools. It was too early yet to know what it was meant to be.

"Hey, North! How's Christmas coming along?"

"Jack!"

He was pulled into a hug, offered fruitcake and eggnog, and settled in a large cushioned chair not too near the fire. North looked concerned.

"I'm so sorry things didn't work out with Sophie..."

"What are you talking about? Didn't work out?"

North stared at him a long moment. He took a sip of eggnog, as if pondering his next words.

"Jack. Did you even go to Burgess yet? Did you see Sophie?"

"I did. I went there with Bunny. She was having a snowball fight with her brother. She looked happy enough."

"You don't know. Oh, this is bad."

"What are you talking about, North—wait, you don't say..."

He flew out of his seat and out of the room in an instant. He heard North's heavy footfalls as the Guardian of Wonder ran after him, but he paid no heed. Countless lights glittered on the Globe in the large, open room, one for every children who believed in the Guardians. Despite their number, he knew exactly where to look for the familiar light of the little blond girl that had conquered their heart many years ago. The girl who, in only one month, would become a woman.

It was still there, shining just as strongly as before in its spot near Jack's lake. It had not even dimmed in the slightest. He closed his eyes and sighed, bringing his fingers up to rub his forehead. _Oh, Sophie. Why can't this be any easier?_

"What am I supposed to say to Bunny? He's accepted that she doesn't believe anymore. But to go through this all over again..."

"Jack. There's something else you must know. Come down."

North's tone had Jack worried. He floated down to the floor and followed the big man back to his office. When he was settled back in his armchair, North pressed a platter of cookies in his hands.

"Jack. It may not be good idea to tell Bunny."

"You think we should pretend that Sophie doesn't believe until she actually doesn't? North, he'll be here for the Christmas breakfast, he'll see-"

"He'll see nothing. Sophie's light won't be shining at Christmas."

"How do you know that?"

"Because each of those lights is a child. And she won't be a child anymore. Even if she still believe."

"Her light will disappear... So how are we supposed to know when she stops believing?"

"She would walk through you, of course."

"And she made us promise to never let her do that. Smart girl."

"So you won't be sure. That's why I say don't tell Bunny. It'd be better if he just think this is over."

Jack dropped his head in his hands and groaned. He would rather think this was all over, too. Now, he'd be left wondering. He should just go talk to her. But how was he supposed to convince her? She had known them for as long as she could remember. Could Sophie ever truly let go? Could he really ask her to? _Just wait until she's ready. Maybe if she spend long enough pretending to not see us, she really won't, soon enough. We'll just fade out of her life, just like we should. Eventually._

"I won't tell him. And I won't tell her. If that's what she wants, we'll just do things her way."

* * *

She would often stare at him when she thought he wasn't looking. And just like she liked to pretend she didn't see him, he liked to pretend he wasn't looking. Two could play this game. It was one of careful avoidance, of eyes almost meeting, of never quite admitting they knew. But they did. Both of them. But neither was really willing to break the illusion. To confront the situation.

But then everything changed. A new piece was added on the board and changed the rules. Jack wasn't sure how to play anymore. He had to think long and hard about it. It was during a somewhat awkward conversation with the man who used to be his best friend, and who could hopefully take that role again one day, that he made up his mind.

"Say hi to her for me, will you?"

He said the words with a grin on his lips, as if he was jesting, but he could see the effect they had on Jamie. He could almost hear his thoughts. How would Sophie react? He had to be wondering. Jamie's eyes took a faraway look as he remembered times long past. When he focused on Jack again, the Guardian could recognize that familiar determination that had impressed him so much when Jamie had been a child.

"I will."

The ball was in her court now.

* * *

**That's it for this arc. As for how Sophie will react, you'll have to wait a bit. I have another chapter I want to write first (and I'm not entirely sure where this particular storyline will go from there). See you next time, which may be in not too long, since next chapter is fully outlined and partly written. But right now I'm supposed to be sleeping.**


	83. Beyond The Ice

Jamie had conflicting feelings about venturing on the ice. On one hand, something told him that it would never break, that the lake would not let him fall into it's freezing waters. No, not the lake. Someone. He could not remember who, but someone would not let him fall. On the other hand, a terrible foreboding feeling hung in the air, so thick he could barely breath. Or maybe he truly wasn't breathing. He couldn't really tell.

The ice was smooth, but his feet did not slip as he took cautious steps on its frozen surface. He recognized that small lake. It was the one near his childhood home. He came here so often as a child, it appeared in his dreams a lot. And Jamie did know this was a dream. But that did not make him any less anxious. Something was wrong here and he felt like he had forgotten what. Something was missing. Or someone.

His heart jumped in his chest, if it was actually beating, when he spotted movement beneath the ice. Pale fingers pressed against it, emerging from the darkness around them. As he stared at them, an equally pale face became visible as well, blue eyes staring up at him, pleading for help. He fell on his knees on the ice separating him from the deathly pale boy in the water, unable to look away from those frosty blue eyes.

Jamie knew him, but did not remember him. He pressed his hands to the ice, wishing he could reach through. It looked so thin, yet so strong. A barely visible, unbreakable barrier that separated him from this child who looked like winter. They could only press their hands on each side of it, so close yet unable to touch. The boy's lips moved, but the water swallowed his voice.

"Who are you? Why can't I remember you?"

The darkness beneath the ice thickened. The boy's fingers left the ice as something dragged him down. He still reached up, hand outstretched, but Jamie could not grab it and pull him back up. He banged his fists against the frozen surface, harder and harder as the pale figure disappeared in the darkness.

"No... No!"

The sound of his desperate cry shattered the ice and he fell into the frozen water. Everything was dark around him. He could not see the boy, or the surface or anything else. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a baby crying. A woman's voice said his name. He tried calling out to the white haired boy lost somewhere in the darkness, but he did not even know his name.

* * *

"Jamie. Wake up. It's your turn to go."

Waking up in a panic, it took Jamie a moment to comprehend where he was and who was speaking to him. It took him even longer to realize that the baby crying in the next room was his daughter. That would take some time getting used to.

"Right. My turn. I'm going."

He stumbled out of bed, still trying to calm his furiously beating heart. The vivid dream kept playing over in his head. He recognized the boy from his dream, now. _It's Jack Frost. I used to make up stories about him when I was a kid. _Maybe it was having a child of his own that brought back old memories.

The baby in the cradle cried with all the strength of her little lungs, calling for someone to come comfort her. Jamie picked her up and held her against his chest a little awkwardly, still not sure how to get her to calm down. It looked so easy when someone else was the one doing it. Just rock her a little, whisper soothing nonsense...

"Hey, Jade, don't cry. Daddy's here."

She just cried harder. He looked around the room, desperately looking for inspiration. His eyes landed on the frosted window. The dream came back to him, the picture of that pale face staring at him through the ice still vivid in his mind and for an instant he could swear he saw that same face on the other side, blue eyes locking with his own. It was gone before he could blink. He looked back down at Jade and smiled at her.

"You don't have to be afraid. There are magical beings out there whose job is to protect children like you. They'll fight away the nightmares and every monster that hides in the dark. They'll protect you, little Jade, so you can sleep easy."

Maybe it was his words or maybe just the fact that he no longer sounded like he was scared himself, but she did calm down. He continued talking, telling her what he could remember of the stories from his childhood until she fell back asleep. He placed her back in her cradle, feeling a little proud. Maybe he could manage this "dad" thing after all.

The window caught his attention before he could leave and return to his bed. On impulse, he walked up to it and placed the tips of his fingers on the cold glass. He hesitated a little, wondering why exactly he was doing this, before resting his palm against the window. He expected to see the frost thaw as his warmth spread through the glass, but it grew even colder. As if Jack Frost himself pressed his hands on the other side.

* * *

**This didn't really turned out the way I wanted, but I'll still post it instead of sitting just here getting upset. I've been doing too much of that today, I need to feel like I actually did something. If I can manage to figure out how to title this.**

**So, someone suggested something about Jamie having a dream where Jack is in trouble and doesn't remember who he is? That's the best I could do. **


	84. Leave Her Alone

**For those who wants to know, the second part of my "Jack just wants to help" comic is up. The link is on my profile. I know I said that last time and for some reason it wasn't, but it's true this time. I've added the link to the first part as well. Sorry about that. I must have forgotten to save after adding it.**

**This is a sequel to ****_Fear_**** and ****_The Boogeyman._**

* * *

The girl's big brown eyes looked at Pitch, filled with terror. It felt wonderful. Before he found that girl, it had been so long since he hadn't scared someone so directly. Since he hadn't been believed in. He grinned at her. He needed to brush up on his sinister grins. He was still a little rusty. She was getting harder to scare, now, so he would need to step up his game.

"You should know better than to come out alone after dark, little girl."

"I-I was going home. Leave me alone."

"Leave you alone? Now, why would I do that?"

"You already took him!" she shouted, anger momentarily making the fear disappear. "You took my brother instead of me, that day on the ice, and now you want me too?"

It still amused Pitch to no end than she thought he was Death itself, the way he had seemingly just appeared on the frozen lake when her brother died. He certainly wasn't going to correct her.

"It doesn't work that way, girl. You were the one supposed to die. Your dear brother's death was just a waste."

"No! He saved me! He didn't die for nothing! I-I can't die here... I can't... Jack..."

"What's going on here?"

Pitch recognized the voice. Even if he had only spoken with the other spirit once, he had observed him from the shadows since. It had been quite a disappointment. Where he had hoped to find a like-minded spirit, he found instead a mischievous boy who liked to make children laugh even if they could not see him. Maybe in a few centuries he would be more bitter. For now, though, he was unlikely to have much sympathy for Pitch's cause. He certainly didn't look sympathetic now, frowning at him, his hands clutching his thin staff.

The girl clearly couldn't see what had caught his attention, but she did not stick around to find out. She turned away from him and ran as fast as she could for her small wooden house. Pitch sighed when the door slammed shut behind her. It would take a while for her to venture out again. Not that the flimsy walls were a real obstacle for him, but she did not know that yet. She thought herself safe inside. He let her believe that for now. Had let her believe that for the past three years. But it might be time to show her she was wrong. She was not as afraid as she used to be.

"What's going on? Nothing. Merely doing my job as the Boogeyman."

"Leave her alone."

The winter spirit narrowed his eyes. Pitch sneered at him.

"What do you care? What is she to you? She can't even see you."

The boy winced. His entire demeanour changed, from self-assured determination to pained uncertainty. The spirit was still very young. Pitch almost felt bad for his words. He certainly knew what it was like to not be seen. And this Jack Frost had never even known how it felt to be believed in. He had been invisible for all of his short life.

"I just... I don't want to see her scared. Any of them. The children... I want them to be happy."

_You're talking like a Guardian, boy. _That's when it hit him. The young spirit had seemed vaguely familiar, but now he realized where he had seen him before. On a lake, three years ago. Just before the ice broke. He had been human then. He had just saved his sister. What surprised him was that he did not seem to recognize her, now. Like he did not remember who he used to be. _He died. That must have affected his memories._

"You do understand it's my role to scare them, just like it's yours to bring winter? Fear kills far fewer children, Frost."

The young spirit took a step back like he had just been slapped. Pitch took little pleasure in hurting the lonely young spirit. He sighed.

"Very well."

"V-very well?"

"I'll leave her alone."

"You will?"

"You'll never see me scare her again, Frost."

Jack Frost smiled at him, such a child-like, innocent smile that Pitch wanted to shake some sense into him. A small part of him envied the boy. It must feel good, to be so naive. To be able to simply believe that the Boogeyman wasn't lying. Well, that last part had been true enough. He wouldn't let the young winter spirit see him scare the girl who used to be his sister again.

"Thank you. You're not so bad, after all."

That was the closest thing to a compliment he had been paid in a very long time. It felt strangely nice. And it almost made him feel bad for not intending to keep his promise. Maybe he did not have to scare the girl as often. It was more fun when she was younger, anyway. He turned away from the boy, melting into the shadows.

"I'll see you around, Jack Frost. Just try not to interfere with my job too much."

* * *

**There's two things that came up a lot in recent reviews that I'd like to address here.**

**First, about Jamie. I get that many of you are reading several different RotG fanfics, so it can be hard to keep track of what happens in which. So, this is just a little reminder for those who forgot. Jamie did start to believe in Jack again, about twenty chapter ago. It was in chapters 64 and 65. The end of chapter 82 was the same as the end of chapter 69, but from Jack's point of view.**

**Second, about my comment of last chapter not having turned out like I wanted. That chapter was one that I had pretty much written in my head before I ever started typing it. The thing is, I mentally "wrote" it when I was lazing around in bed, not quite awake. It did not have to be too coherent to be amazing. It lost a lot of amazingness when I put it down in actual words, rather than sentence fragments, pictures and feelings. So it's just a case of "It was so much more awesome in my head".**

**Also, I seem to have forgotten that I'm supposed to be on a hiatus this month. Ah, well.**


	85. When Wishes Still Came True

Jack didn't know why all of the children crowded around the old woman, but he joined them to find out. She sat on the edge of the well, her shawl wrapped around her against the cool spring air. The children settled in a semicircle in front of her with eager smiles on their faces. Curious, Jack crouched on his staff, or tried to. As light as he was, he couldn't quite manage that feat. He ended up sprawled on the frosted yellow grass instead. He rested his chin on his hand, lounging on the ground like this was exactly what he meant to do. He felt a little absurd for the pretense. It was not like anyone had seen that.

The old lady cleared her throat and the children fell completely silent, inching forward to better hear her words. Jack had never seen them this focused on anything before. He couldn't help but sit up and lean forward, waiting expectantly for whatever it was she had to tell them.

"Once upon a time, when the land was magic and wishes still came true..."

Jack listened with rapt attention to the old lady's tales of fairies, princesses, evil sorcerers dragons and mermaids. He was fascinated with these stories where normal humans encountered those creatures and could actually see them, talk to them, touch them. And, according to the old lady, these hadn't happened in some magical other world but right here, once upon a time.

The magic was still there, Jack knew. He had seen fairies before. And he himself might as well have come out of one of those tales. But they weren't seen anymore. And wishes certainly didn't come true. Jack knew that very well. Otherwise, the children would see him. He wasn't sure he wanted the adults to see him. They might start to tell him what to do.

Jack wondered if, once upon a time, he could have walked the land like a real person, meeting princesses and sparking tales that would still be told centuries from now. If, once upon a time, the Moon would have answered him when he begged to know why he was there. If, once upon a time, his own wishes would have come true.

"Granny, where are they, now? The fairies and the mermaids?"

"They retreated to the land of dreams. They still visit us when we sleep"

"No," Jack said, but no one heard. "We're still here. You just can't see us anymore. You just don't... believe in us anymore."

It was getting late and the children started to return home. Jack just sat there for a long time, watching the Moon rise, asking him what happened, why the world changed, why the people didn't believe anymore, why wishes no longer came true. The Moon didn't answer. He never did. Jack sighed. From the corner of his eyes, he saw movement. A little fairy, pulling open a window to get her precious prize hidden under the pillow. In the sky, swirling streams of golden sand brought dreams to the sleeping children. Dreams of fairies and mermaids. He wondered if any of them would ever dream of Jack Frost, or if he couldn't exist even in the land of dreams.

* * *

****

Pretty short chapter this time, since I'm procrastinating on writing my longer ones.


	86. Jack Frost Says Hi

**Important Note****: Since I can't have Jamie refers to his wife as just "his wife" forever, I called her Ashley. Just saying this here so no one gets confused when they see an Ashley. **

**This is a sequel to ****_Fragile Bonds _****and ****_Playing The Game._**** Sorry I keep waiting forever to do sequels. One of those was 20 chapters ago.**

* * *

Jamie could hear his sister laughing with Ashley in the living room when he returned home from his walk on Christmas day. He felt more nervous to see her than he ever had. He remembered how, long ago, Sophie had talked to him about Jack and the other Guardian and he had told her she was being childish. He remembered the pained look on her face. And now the roles might very well get reversed. He wondered how she would react. He wondered if it would hurt if she didn't believe.

"Daddy! Did you give them to him?" Jade asked, running to him and tugging on his arm.

"Of course I did. Just like I told you."

"Give what to who?" Sophie asked, standing up to join them. "Don't tell me you're already giving gifts to boys!"

Jade turned bright red and sputtered indignantly. Sophie laughed, ruffled her hair and pulled Jamie into a hug. As anxious as he was, it was good to see her again. He had been feeling nostalgic, lately. He almost wanted to ask his sister to cut some paper snowflakes with him. And maybe have a snowball fight. Just like in the good old days.

"Not to boys! I made cookies for Jack Frost. I mean... he's a boy, but it's not like that!"

"Oh? And since when is your father a friend of Jack Frost?"

Jamie winced. Sophie said it in a teasing tone, but to him it sounded like an accusation. And maybe it was. Even if Sophie no longer believed, she must still remember him telling her to grow up and stop believing in fairy tales. She might resent him that. But she had looked more hurt than angry at the time and he thought he could still see some of that old pain under her smile. He cleared his throat and looked at her.

"Jack Frost says 'hi'."

Sophie's smile froze, somewhere between surprised, disbelieving and uncertain. It was hard to tell if her expression was simply due to how unexpected his words were or if she was starting to feel old memories trying to claw their way back to the surface. There was a long moment of awkward silence before Ashley cleared her throat and clapped her hands once, a smile plastered on her face.

"So, anyone wants eggnog?"

* * *

Jamie lounged on the couch, feeling like he was going to need the whole week to digest the Christmas dinner. It was getting late and Ashley was trying to get Jade to sleep, so he remained here alone with Sophie. She stared at him in a way that made him a little uneasy.

"So. Jack Frost says 'hi'?" she asked at last.

Jamie sat straighter and fidgeted with the edge of his shirt. He wanted to just laugh it off, tell her it was a joke. But what if she was remembering? What if she was just starting to think that maybe all of their childhood games had been real and she just needed him to confirm it for her? He ran a hand through his hair. Should he? Jack said it would be better for him to not believe. He remembered that it had been hard to live with that in high school and even now he had to deal with the fact that he was hiding this from his wife. But how was he supposed to tell her? She hadn't experienced what he and Sophie had as children.

"Jamie? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. No. Maybe. Will you take a walk with me?"

"Sure. You look like you could use some fresh air."

* * *

"You two are going out? This late?" Ashley asked when she returned to see them pulling on their boots.

"We're just going to the lake. We won't be gone long."

"To the lake? Again? It's the second time today."

"I know, I just... we used to go together a lot when we were kids. It's been a long time."

"Right. We're just feeling a little nostalgic."

"Are you two all right?"

"We're fine," Jamie said a bit too fast.

"Jamie just ate too much. He need to digest all that food."

Sophie pulled him outside before things got even more awkward. He saw Ashley looking at them in concern before the door closed. He sighed. Sophie looked up at him.

"All right. We're all alone, now. Start talking."

Jamie bit his lip. He still wasn't sure what to tell her. He knew that his desire for her to remember was very selfish. He just wanted to go back to the way things used to be, even if they were no longer children and he still hadn't quite mended his friendship with Jack. He shouldn't drag Sophie into this mess. But he couldn't just lie to her either. He just couldn't. And, from the way she was looking at him right now, she wasn't going to let go until he explained. So he took a deep breath, still not sure what to say even as he opened his mouth.

"Jack Frost is real. So is Santa and the Ester Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and Sandman."

Sophie stared for a long moment. She opened her mouth, closed it again and swallowed. That had not been the best way to go about this.

"Care to elaborate?"

"They're the Guardians. And we used to know them. But then we stopped believing."

"And you're believing again?" she said cautiously.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"No. I don't think you're crazy. Tell me what happened."

"All right. I saw Jack on Halloween. I thought he was just a kid in a really good costume, but he looked so familiar. He gave me a candy. He did that many years ago, too. It was all so familiar. Anyway, I saw him again a few days later. He looked as surprised as I did. And I started to remember. It was all real, Sophie. Not games we were playing as kids. Real."

They kept walking in silence for a while. Sophie looked in the direction of the lake, a faraway look in her eyes. They would be there soon. Jamie had never moved very far from the lake. He always thought it was just because it was near the place he grew up, but now he wondered if he had maybe tried to stay near his invisible friend.

"Can I see him too?"

Sophie's words surprised him and filled him with hope. She was staring at her feet and rubbing her arms nervously.

"He was sleeping when I left him, but that was many hours ago. He should be at the lake."

"The lake. We used to go there after the first snow. I wanted to give Jack Frost a hug."

"So you remember, now?"

"Let's run."

The lake was close enough to sprint there. Jamie felt like a child again, running off with Sophie late at night to see Jack Frost. He was grinning by the time he got there. Jack wasn't hard to find. He floated down from the tree he had been sitting in when he saw them running, his head cocked to the side in curiosity. Jamie stopped a few feet away from him, but Sophie kept running, threw her arms around Jack, lifted him off the ground and spun him in a circle, laughing. He stared at her with wide eyes for an instant when she put him back down. but he recovered from his surprise more quickly than Jamie would have thought.

"Sophie! So good to see you again! I mean, so good of you to see me again."

"Jack! This is so wonderful. To see you again, I mean. It's been so long. Not that I knew it was being long. That didn't make any sense, did it?"

Jamie stared at them both in confusion. He felt like he was missing something. Like he was watching two bad actors who couldn't remember their lines. It was a little eerie. But they looked genuinely overjoyed to talk again. Sophie finally decided to stop trying to speak and just hugged Jack again. Jamie watched them with a relieved smile. It felt like things were returning to the way they should be.

"Jamie! Are you going to just stand there? This calls for a group hug."

Before he could protest, Sophie grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the hug. Yes, things were exactly as they should be.

* * *

**I wanted to write this yesterday, but I was too sick to think so I ended up just drawing a bit, watching some movies and going back to sleep at noon. I actually slept through the entire day. **

**Sorry it took so long to go back to this storyline. Now that I've handled the Sophie situation, I'll try to do more with adult Jamie (and Sophie as well).**


	87. Not So White Christmas

**To answer the question so many asked about last chapter: yes, Sophie still believed. She was just still pretending not too. She didn't tell Jamie because she didn't want to upset him even more ("Oh, you forgot your best friend? I didn't.")**

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Jack?"

"Come on! You've asked how many times already? Yes, I'm sure."

He jumped on the sleigh behind North, eager to be off. He had been feeling stronger since he became a Guardian and children had started to believe in him. He could do this. He was sure he could. For the first time, every children in the world would have a white Christmas this year. And it would be all thank to Jack Frost. He did not have many believer yet, but maybe that would change. And maybe he could show the Guardians that he could be useful at other things than blasting stuff with ice.

"Then tighten your seat belt. We're off!"

Jack grinned when they took off, crouching on the back of the sleigh and letting the wind play with his hair. The ride was not nearly as bumpy as trying to ride the wind and he certainly did not have the same level of freedom, but the sleigh had it's own charm. It was a shame Bunny hated it. He wondered what he would think of flying with him. He could easily imagine the Pooka screaming in his ears. He would have to try it, one day.

They started east, where the night fell first. He wished it would not be so long before they made it to Burgess. He wanted to give it a nice blanket of snow, so he could get the kids to play outside in the morning. He just hoped he would not be to spent to manage it. He did not want to admit it, but turning the whole world into a snowball was a little ambitious and he wasn't entirely certain it was wise to try that already. Maybe in a few years, like North had suggested. He would be stronger then. When he actually had more believer than the kids in the small town he lived in.

He had plenty of time to call his storms while North jumped from chimney to chimney to deliver presents. Sending snow over Russia was hardly a challenge, but he tried not to overdo it. He needed to be reasonable, if he wanted to make to all the way west. They continued south from there. The farther they went, the harder it was to bring the snow, but he could manage it. He was a Guardian now. If he wanted to make it snow over Australia in summer, he was going to do it. As they flew over, he spotted a hole opening in the ground, two rabbit ears poking out before the Pooka jumped out and shook a fist at him. Jack grinned and waved.

As they continued west, Jack realized he was tiring too quickly. The snow he made over southern regions was barely more than a dusting that may not even survive till morning. He might not be able to pull this off after all. But he refused to admit defeat. He kept pouring his energy into making more snow, even if he had to move to a more stable position, actually sitting down in the back seat and trying to hide the fact that he was trembling in exhaustion.

"Jack, maybe is enough snow for tonight. You can give the others white Christmas next year."

"It's fine, North. I can do this."

Jack felt bad and not just because his every muscle hurt from the effort. He felt bad because he could not even do this one thing the Spirit of Winter should be able to do for the kids. He felt bad because, even if it was Christmas and North was doing his favorite thing in the world, he did not hear the Guardian of Wonder's booming laughter and did not see his beaming smile. What he saw instead was concerned glances and what he heard was North's many attempts to get him to call it a night.

Jack wasn't too sure where they were, now. Somewhere in Africa. Maybe. All he knew for sure was that it was warm. And not white. And his attempts to change that were failing. North was off to deliver presents, so he supposed it couldn't hurt to close his eyes a moment until the world came back into focus. Then, he'd give this place the biggest snowstorm it ever had.

"Jack! Jack, are you all right?"

Jack slowly blinked awake to see North's face hovering above him. He was lying on the seat where he had apparently fallen asleep. It was still much too warm.

"I'm fine. I need to give them snow."

"No. No snow. We go back to Pole."

Jack sat back up, his eyes wide, when he saw North pull out a snow globe. He grabbed the big man's arm to keep him from shaking the globe. He couldn't let him do that. It was bad enough that he had failed to do something for the kids, but he couldn't let North waste any more time tonight. It was his big night. Jack didn't want to ruin it. What if some kids couldn't get their gifts?

"No. Not the Pole. I'll just... take a nap here. I'll be fine. I'll get a lot better when we're not this far south."

"Jack. This is Spain. We go much farther south." North put a big hand on Jack's forehead. It didn't feel nearly as warm as it should. "You need to go somewhere cold."

"I'll be fine! I'll just... sleep through it."

Before North could argue more, Jack pulled up his hood, laid back on the seat and pretended to be asleep already. It wasn't long before he really was.

* * *

"I'm sorry, you know?" Jack said as North put him down on his bed. "For being such a bother."

The cold air of the Pole was doing wonders. He no longer felt like he was melting. North tucked him in, fluffed his pillow and generally fussed around him.

"You are not bother, Jack. You wanted to do something nice for the children. That is good. I'm proud of you."

"I'll miss the Christmas breakfast."

"There will be plenty more Christmas breakfast to come. We'll save you some pie. Now, sleep."

With a little smile that was half apology and half thank, he closed his eyes again. Maybe he could wake up before breakfast was over and Bunny ate all the carrot cake.

* * *

**I wasn't sure I'd manage to write a chapter today, not because I didn't have time but because I've just been too stressed. And still sick. I don't know when next chapter will be.**


	88. Snow Fight

"Jaime! Wake up! Wake up!"

Jamie mumbled and hid his head in the pillow. He didn't know what time it was, but it was too bright and he wasn't ready to open his eyes yet. Sophie pulled his blanket off. Jamie groaned.

"Do I have to? Am I late for school?"

"No school. Snow day!"

That got his attention. He sat up in his bed, looked outside, blinked several times until his eyes adjusted to the bright morning light reflecting on pristine white snow, and finally jumped out of bed and ran to the window. Sophie was right, there had been quite a snowstorm during the night. And Jamie had thought that Jack was gone for the year, after the snow had mostly melted and he hadn't see the Guardian in a few weeks. But it looked like Jack had decided to give them one more snow day this year.

"Soph, you coming to the lake with me?"

"We go see Jack Frost?"

"Yeah, we're going to see him. Go get dressed all right?"

With a shout of delight, Sophie ran out of the room. Jamie hastily picked some clothes, threw on an extra pair of sock to be safe and ran out of the room to get his coat. Sophie joined him soon, still trying to shove her arm through the sleeve of her shirt. Jamie helped her with that, handed her her boots and pulled on his own, something made harder by the little girl using his shoulder for balance while trying to fit her foot in a boot that wouldn't stay in place. Jamie held it still for her and helped her in her coat. They were almost out of the door before their mother caught up to them.

"I made toasts, since you two seemed intent on running off without breakfast." She held up a plate with two toasts on it, a slightly exasperated smile on her face.

"Thanks mom, you're the best!" Jamie grabbed the toasts, giving one to Sophie and shoving the other in his mouth.

"Don't forget your hat!"

They ran to the lake, still munching on their toast. Jamie had to slow down to wait for Sophie, who had trouble doing two things at the same time without falling on her face. At least the lake wasn't far. But he couldn't see Jack anywhere and it wasn't snowing anymore. Jamie was afraid that maybe he just gave them a storm while passing through, that he wasn't actually there. They searched the entire area, calling out the Guardian's name, without luck.

"I think he's not there, Soph. He must have gone south already."

"Gone?"

Sophie looked up at him, looking almost as disappointed as he felt. He should just be thankful that Jack had given them a last snow day, but he wished he could have seen his friend one more time. He sighed. At least he could try to cheer up Sophie.

"Yeah, gone. Jack goes to see the Easter Bunny in summer."

"Easter Bunny hop, hop, hop!"

"How about we go back home and have a snow fight? How does that sound?"

Sophie smiled, clapped her hands and ran back in the direction of their home. Even if Jack Frost wasn't there, they could still have some fun. They ran back to the yard and Jamie picked a handful of snow, started to pack it in his hand, then froze when he spotted something blue and covered in a thin layer of snow. A snowball sailed past his legs.

"Wait, Soph, time out."

He cautiously approached what he recognized as the Guardian of Fun's blue hoodie. Once he was aware of it, it wasn't too hard to spot the Guardian's form lying in the snow in a corner of the yard. Jamie panicked, thinking something had happened to the Jack. He ran to him and shook his shoulder.

"Jack! Jack, wake up!"

Jack's eyes flew open. He sat up and looked around frantically for some source of trouble before turning his attention to Jamie.

"What's wrong? What's happening? Why are we panicking?"

The Guardian looked confused and that was confusing Jamie. They blinked at each other for a full minute while Sophie stood by, looking at them in turn, just as lost.

"You... you were just lying there, not moving."

"Well, you were just lying in your bed, not moving, when I came to check on you. What's the big deal?"

"You were... sleeping?"

"Just took a nap. I considered shaking you and screaming your name, but I decided that would be rude," Jack said, rolling his eyes. Jamie felt his ears redden.

"Don't you have a bed?"

"No. Well, yeah, but not here."

"So you just sleep in the snow?"

"Why not? "Jack shrugged. "It soft and cold and everything I like about a place to sleep."

"Oh."

Jamie felt stupid. But at least Jack was there. He hadn't left without saying goodbye. Now that explanation time was over, Sophie threw her arms around Jack's neck, conveniently at her height now that he was sitting in the snow, with a cheerful cry. He grinned and hugged her back.

"Hey there, little ankle-biter," he said in a bad imitation of the Easter Bunny. Sophie laughed. "Jamie, is that a snowball I see?"

Jamie looked down at the forgotten ball of snow he was still holding. He jumped to his feet and threw the snowball at Jack with a grin. At this range, there was no way he'd miss, especially with Sophie sitting in Jack's lap. It connected with the Guardian's shoulder, making Sophie shriek and Jamie cheer. It was the first time he ever manage to get him. The Guardian's eyes narrowed and his grin turned rather sinister. He made a snowball of his own, blew his magic on it and handed it to Sophie.

"I think that was a declaration of war. What do you say, Soph?"

"Snow fight!"

* * *

**Hopefully after today things will go back to normal here and I'll be able to return to my neglected story arcs. And some requests that I haven't gotten around to yet. (And maybe I'll get started on this AU I've been meaning to write for a long time in which Jack joined Pitch to defeat him, but I'm not talking about that. You didn't read anything, all right?)**


	89. Prince Of The Ice Kingdom

**This takes place after ****_Jack Frost Says Hi._**

* * *

"... and so peace returned to the ice kingdom," Jamie read, closing the story book. "And now, sleep."

"Can't you tell me one more story?" Jade asked.

"Tomorrow. It's late, now."

"All right. Tomorrow."

"Good night, Jade"

"Night, daddy."

Jamie smiled at his daughter and replaced the book on her small bookshelf. He took a moment to look at the cover. It was one of the many children's books about the Guardians. In this case, Jack Frost. Jamie wondered what Jack would think of it. He ruled a kingdom in some frozen land in this one. The cover depicted him as a majestic-looking blue elf with an ice crown. It looked very little like Jack. Jade knew that, but she didn't really care. She was sure the story was still true.

Jamie turned off the light and sighed as he left Jade's room. It was a few days after Christmas and he hadn't seen the Guardian since. He should visit. He missed the time when things were not yet awkward between them. He missed being able to just talk to Jack. They needed some time to readjusted, he supposed. He was a little jealous of how easy it had been for Sophie to renew her friendship with Jack. Like she never forgot.

"Ash? I'll be going for a walk."

"Are you all right? You're not looking so well. Is something bothering you?"

"It's nothing. I just need some fresh air. I'll be back later."

Jamie knew that Ashley was starting to think he was hiding something and he felt awful about it, but he could hardly just tell her he was going to see Jack Frost. At least so far she looked more concerned than angry. He remembered that his mother used to think that the reason he was always going out late at night was that he was seeing a girl. The last thing he wanted was for Ashley to start thinking the same. He still hadn't figured out what to do about that. He didn't want to ask Jack for advice, either. The Guardian already thought that Jamie would be better off not believing.

"Jamie, you've been acting weird since November. Or even before that. You were all upset when you came back on Halloween. Do you... do you need help? Maybe you should see a professional."

"I'm not crazy," he said, maybe a bit too defensively.

"I didn't say you were crazy, I said you were upset."

"I'm fine. I'll just go take a walk."

Ashley sighed in discouragement and retreated to their bedroom. Jaime bit his lip, shook his head and grabbed his coat. He would figure this out. Just not right now. He went out in the cold December night, breathing in deeply and letting the fond memories of previous winters come back to him. These had been some of the happiest days of his life. Things hadn't always been easy, but just setting a foot outside in freshly fallen snow or breathing the crisp winter air would always put him in a good mood. Before he stopped believing, that is. After that, he always felt a sense of loss in winter. It had been too much to just forget.

In the sky, the moon was so big and bright, like he remembered it from his childhood. That wasn't something he had expected to change, but the moon did look different during his years of not believing. Just a small, pale disk in the sky. But this moon looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. It was the one the Guardian looked up to. The one a white haired child was staring up at while balancing on the crook of his staff when he reached the lake. Jamie walked to stand with him, quietly observing the sky.

"It's so beautiful," Jamie mused out loud. "It's a shame most people can't see it like this."

"It's a comforting sight."

Jamie felt there was a story there, but he didn't want to pry. Or rather he wanted to, but he didn't think he should. He wouldn't have hesitated when he was a kid. Instead he changed the subject.

"You know, I think Jade is becoming a fan of yours."

"Is she, now?" Jack asked, chuckling.

"She think you're a prince ruling over a kingdom of ice."

"Well, that's a bit exaggerated. Unless you call a couple of buildings and a handful of sprites a kingdom. I guess you have to start somewhere."

"What?"

Jamie had no idea what he was talking about. He certainly saw no buildings around the lake and not a sprite in sight. He felt like he was missing something. Something he would know if not for the years they had spent apart.

"Oh, I didn't tell you about my new headquarters in Antarctica yet?"

"In Antarctica? I... I thought you lived here." The idea that Jack had decided to move somewhere else was incredibly upsetting.

"Of course I live here. But I can't stay in summer and I needed somewhere to prepare all those candies for Halloween, you know? I can't just keep using the Warrens or North's workshop. I needed a place of my own. So I made a few buildings from ice in Antarctica and hired a bunch of sprites to help me. You should come visit. It's summer there, right now."

"I'd love to, but how am I supposed to do that?"

"I'll borrow a snow globe. It'll be great!"

Jamie laughed, genuinely looking forward to a trip to the South Pole. He had always dreamed of visiting one of the Guardian's home. Sophie had told him of her vague memories of the Warrens, of walking eggs and rivers of dyes, grassy fields and flowers. Jack told him of the Tooth Fairy's floating palace, North's hectic workshop full of wonders and the Sandman's sand castle. He wanted to see something like that. Jack lake had it's own magical charm, especially at night under the moonlight, but he had lived nearby his whole life and it was certainly not as grandiose as the other Guardian's homes. But then he wondered what he was supposed to tell his family. That he was going skiing? He hated lying. To them, most of all.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing." He felt like he was saying that a lot, lately.

There was an awkward silence and Jamie looked up at the moon. Jack had told him before that the Man in the Moon watched out for them. Jamie begged him for help, to disentangle the mess his life had become lately.

"Hey, how about you come skating tomorrow with your family? Jade loves it and I haven't seen Ashley pull on skates since she was ten. I'll make sure she has fun."

"You... you knew Ashley when she was a kid?"

"Of course I did. I knew all of the kids from Burgess, even if they didn't know me. Your mom, too. And your boss. He's not as mean as he look."

Jamie laughed, but he was a little sad at the same time. Somehow, while he had known that Jack was very old, he had never realized what it meant. That he had seen so many kids grow up to become responsible adults with no time for games and fairy tales. That he must have seen so many of them die. Jack was closer to the kids than any of the other Guardians and that meant that he actually saw what they became once they were no longer children. They did not just stop existing to him. And maybe, when some serious adult suddenly decided to get out and build a snowman, it might be Jack Frost reminding them that they were children once.

"All right. We'll come skate tomorrow."

* * *

**So, I'm almost not sick anymore and I finally have running water again, so I'm happy. I'll get to work on this a bit more seriously, now that I don't have plumbers flirting with me everyday. Or I would, if not for my very short attention span. But I'll try.**

**I should consider changing the second main character for this story from Bunny to Jamie, I think he's actually appearing more often (and I have more future stories planned with Jamie than Bunny). I'll have to look at past chapters. I really need to re-read this whole thing. But, again, my short attention span.**


	90. The Offer

**This takes place right after ****_Prince Of The Ice Kingdom._**

* * *

"Do the others know?"

Jack gasped and almost fell off his staff. He floated down instead and turned to face the speaker. He didn't need to ask Pitch what he meant. He must have see him talking to Jamie. Jack bit his lip nervously, not really wanting to talk about that.

"Ah, so they don't?"

"I haven't talked to them about it yet."

"And why is that?"

"Because this shouldn't even have happened."

"You're right, it shouldn't have."

Pitch looked strangely satisfied about this turn of event. Or maybe it wasn't that strange. Pitch might not be actively trying to get revenge anymore, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take some pleasure in seeing Jamie suffer because he believed again. He was the kid who had ruined his great plan, after all. By believing. This must be quite ironic.

"Did you come here to gloat?"

"No. I came to offer you my help."

"Your... help?"

"If you want, we can fix that. Make Jamie stop believing again. All it takes is a touch of fear."

Jack's fingers clenched around his staff but he did his best to stay calm. He was trying to keep things civil between them. It had mostly worked for the past few years, with only a few disputes. But he wasn't going to be able to remain a friendly neighbour if Pitch did anything to Jamie. Even if he wasn't a little kid anymore, Jack still wasn't going to let the Boogeyman scare him.

"Didn't work last time."

"That's where you're wrong."

Jack opened and closed his mouth a few time, confusion filling him. Pitch kept looking at him with a smug little look, waiting for him to figure it out. When Jack understood what he meant, he gripped his staff even harder. The Wind blew hard across the frozen lake as the snow started falling again. It took Jack some time to find his voice.

"What did you do to him? What did you do to Jamie before he stopped believing?"

"He kept coming here, you know? He was so full of fear. Fear that he would never see you again, that you did not like him anymore, that he had done something wrong, that he was supposed to become an adult, now. But he did not want to let go of his childish beliefs. So I fed that fear. I just helped him move on. Don't look at me like that, Jack. It was better this way."

"But that not why you did it."

"No. But what does it change? The result was the same. Jamie moved on with his life, got married, had a child who's not nearly afraid enough. You should be happy."

Jack lowered his head. The Wind calmed and the snow stopped falling. He felt angry at Pitch for daring to do anything to Jamie, ashamed for causing his friend distress and not being there to protect him, and yet a small part of him was happy. Jamie hadn't wanted to stop believing. He hadn't just discarded their friendship. No matter that it was what Jack had wanted him to do, he still felt relieved to know he hadn't been able to just let go. _And now he blame himself for that. I need to speak to him. _

"Look, thanks for the offer, but no," Jack said. The thanks were sincere enough, after all, Pitch didn't have to offer. He could have just gone ahead and done it. "I'll just... see what happens next."

"Whatever you say, Jack. The offer will still stand if you change your mind."

Pitch turned around and disappeared in the shadows of the trees. Jack shook his head, trying to make sense out of this. Why had Pitch offered his help, really? Not because he wanted to help Jamie, that much he was certain. And not because he wanted to scare him, because he didn't need Jack's blessing to do that. And why did he tell him about his role in making Jamie stop believing? To boast? To make him feel better about his friend forgetting him? Because he was in a talkative mood tonight? Jack sighed and looked up at the Moon for answers.

A snowball connected with the side of his head. Jack turned back to the trees where it had come from in surprised, but he could see nothing there. Nothing but too-deep shadows, that is.

"Stop moping around, will you?" Pitch said from the shadows. "You put snow all over my bed whenever you're upset."

"Oh?" Jack laughed. "And I don't, otherwise?"

* * *

**I wasn't sure I wanted to use Pitch in this arc yet, since there's quite a few years since last chapter he was in, but I decided to just use him anyway. I'll write more of what happened since he got his new bed later.**

**I can't believe I'm only ten chapters away from 100. When I first started this, I told myself I would write 100 stories, but I wasn't really serious. Now it looks like I'm actually going to do it. So, while I said a few time that I might give up on this, I'm certainly not going to do it before reaching 100 chapters!**


	91. New Traditions

**This is a sequel to ****_Not So White Christmas_ and _Christmas Carols_.**** Which you should read first. Speaking of:**

**WARNING: Should you decide to read these stories out of order, I decline any responsibility for you getting confused/being traumatized/thinking that Jack is pregnant with Pitch's baby (not sure if that count as confusing or traumatizing).**

* * *

Tooth sighed. The traditional Christmas breakfast was not as lively as usual. They should be used to being just the four of them, really, but after last year, when they got to spend Christmas with their newest member for the first time, Jack's absence weighted on them. Not just the fact that he wasn't there, either, but the reason. Even Bunny, who came here ready to pick a fight over a bit of snow, was now nibbling on his carrot cake without much enthusiasm. North said Jack just needed some sleep, but his health wasn't the only thing worrying them.

"Does he think he needs to prove himself to us?"

"I don't know, Tooth," North answered. "Jack isn't very used to people. It's been less than two years and he still spend most of his time alone. Or with the children."

"That's it, when he wakes up, I'm giving him a hug."

"Don't," Bunny said. "You'll just remind him that he needs a hug."

"That doesn't make any sense. You don't need to wait until someone needs a hug to give them one."

To prove her point, Tooth flew across the table and hugged the Pooka, ignoring his protests and his attempts to throw her off. North laughed and wrapped his big arms around them both, squeezing them a bit more tightly than comfortable.

"All right, all right! Stop it, you two!" Bunny shouted.

"You guys look like you're having fun."

Tooth's eyes widened. She twisted around until she could see Jack, leaning casually against the table with a crooked grin on his face. He looked like everything was fine, but she wasn't quite ready to believe that.

"Jack, you're just in time for hug time!" North said, squeezing Tooth and Bunny a bit tighter to demonstrate. Sandy jumped on the table and half floated, half bounced to where Jack was standing, throwing his short arms around him, not willing to be left out this time. Jack stood still and blinked, before chuckling and hugging Sandy back.

"Hug time?" Jack asked, bemused.

"That's right. Hug time. It's a new tradition." Tooth answered, freeing herself from North and throwing her arms around Jack. North, still firmly holding on to Bunny, joined in the new hug, crushing everyone together. Bunny just roared in frustration. Tooth was sure he didn't mind nearly as much as he kept pretending. She could feel Jack tense, not too comfortable being squished in the middle of a groups of people. Time to give him some breathing space.

"We saved you some pie!"

They soon had Jack sitting at the table with a slice of apple pie, with everyone trying to act casual. North started to tell them about the new improvements he wanted to make on the sleigh and even Bunny pretended to be interested. At least until Jack snatched the last piece of carrot cake.

"Hey! I was gonna eat that!"

"Oh, really? Sorry. How was I supposed to know you like carrot cake?"

Jack grinned and shoved the cake in his mouth. Bunny looked like he might try to get him to spit it out.

"Boys, can we try to not fight? Please? For Christmas?" Tooth pleaded with them.

"Why should I care that it's Christmas?"

"Because Christmas is love and family!" North answered.

Bunny turned to him, his ears flattening, ready to get into an argument. _Oh, here we go again. _Tooth rolled her eyes, Sandy drank eggnog without paying attention and Jack just looked relieved that things were back to normal instead of them just acting like things were normal to avoid upsetting him. Tooth had to admit that she preferred to see the boys arguing than the silence that had been hanging over the table earlier. Now it was just a normal Christmas between the Guardians. Which reminded her, there was something she had meant to ask Jack since last Christmas.

"Jack, will you sing Christmas carols with me?"

"W-what? Sing? With you?"

"Why not? You were doing it last year."

"I-I didn't think anyone was listening," Jack answered, his cheeks reddening. He looked down at his previously forgotten slice of pie like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"But it was so beautiful! Please?"

"I-Isn't it a bit warm in here?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No," Bunny answered. "You're just blushing a lot. Come on, stop glaring at me and just sing with her already."

"Yes," North agreed. "I heard I missed that last year."

Sandy formed a musical note in sand over his head. Jack sighed, grabbed a cup of eggnog, drained it and stood.

"All right. But then it's Bunny's turn."

"W-wha? I don't sing, Frostbite."

"And I don't care."

"I'm not singing any Christmas songs."

"Then I don't see why I would."

"Bunny, please?" Tooth begged him. She didn't know why they all made such a big deal out of singing. Birds did it all the time and you didn't see them getting all flustered and shy.

"Don't you worry. I'll sing with you," North said, clapping Bunny's shoulder. The Pooka groaned and buried his face in his hands. Taking this to mean yes, Tooth grabbed Jack by the hand and dragged him to the side. He looked more amused than embarrassed, now. Tooth clapped her hands in excitement.

"So, what should we sing? Oh, how about that new song, 'Winter Wonderland'? That sounds like it would suit you."

"It's about eighty years old."

"New enough."

"All right," he agreed with a laugh.

Bunny crossed his arms and glared, but his ears perked up as he waited for them to sing. Sandy and North both watched expectantly. Tooth decided to get this started before Jack remembered he was shy about singing in front of anyone. She cleared her throat and sang the first line of the song, grabbing Jack's hand again in case he felt like running off. He joined her soon enough, keeping his eyes focused on the globe rather than any of them. His singing was as lovely as she remembered. Off to the side, she spotted some of her fairies watching him with googly eyes. One of them even swooned. But she couldn't really blame them. He not only had wonderful teeth, but also a wonderful voice? What more could they ask for? She closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.

It was over all too soon and, from the way Jack ran back to sit at the table, she knew she wouldn't convince him to sing again. At least not this year. Maybe they could make this a tradition. Like hug time.

"Wonderful, you two, wonderful," North shouted, clapping his hands.

Sandy made a thumbs up above his head and Bunny mumbled something incomprehensible. An elf ran over holding a trumpet over his head, looked around, then threw it on the ground when he realized the singing was over.

"Right. Your turn, now."

The elf picked his trumpet back up. Bunny groaned again as North dragged him out of his chair. Jack grinned.

* * *

**Sorry to cut it there. Also, sorry it took so long to get to that request. That wasn't what I had originally planned to do with it, but I never managed to write it. And now, I need to go back to trying to make a dress-up game.**


	92. A Box Full Of Memories

**This is a sequel to ****_The Offer _****and ****_Prince Of The Ice Kingdom._**

* * *

Jack peeked through all the windows of Jamie's house, but he couldn't find the man anywhere. He had sought him out earlier today, wanting to speak to him in private before he came to the lake with his family later, and had overheard while they were having breakfast that Ashley would be leaving with Jade later in the morning to buy new ice skates for both herself and Jade. Jack had seen it as his chance to catch Jamie alone, but now that he was back here, he didn't see his friend. He landed on a power line and crossed his arms, frowning. That's when he spotted the light behind the dirty window of the attic.

With a victorious smile, Jack flew to the window and pushed it open. Maybe he should have knocked first. He still wasn't used to this. Deciding that knocking was for humans, he flew around a pile of dusty boxes and finally found Jamie sitting on the floor, holding a flashlight and looking at some scattered papers. peering over his shoulder, he recognized the papers as old drawings Jamie had made when he was younger. Jack remembered many of the colorful crayon ones, including the picture of his crazy sledding flight. Jamie used to show them to him whenever he visited. Pictures of the Guardians, of Jamie and Jack having fun, sometime with his friends or Sophie.

But those childish drawings hadn't been the only ones in the box Jamie had emptied on the floor. Others were ink scribbles on lined paper, maybe made at school. Pages and pages of them, some just doodles, others more elaborate. Jack had never seen those. He hadn't really realized how important the Guardians had still been to Jamie even when he was older. How much he still thought of them. Jack had thought he was just this friend who was missing half the year, but maybe he was a bit more important to Jamie than that. Maybe Jack was his tie to that secret part of his life that made him who he was. Until Jack left and told him to forget him.

"I still don't know how I could just stop believing, you know?" Jamie said without turning around. "Whenever I try to remember that summer, I can't figure out how it happened. Everything is a little fuzzy, but I remember thinking that I could never just let go. And then I did."

"You were afraid."

"I was. I remember that. I was terrified. But I—"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to deal with the situation, so I left, hoping it would just solve itself if I wasn't around. I abandoned you."

Jamie didn't answer at first. He looked at the pictures scattered around him, at the representations of all the fun he had with Jack, of how he missed him when he wasn't around. Jack felt his throat constrict and he stared at his feet. He should never have just left like he had. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, Pitch was right, after all, it had been better for Jamie to stop believing and move on with his life, but surely there had to be an other way. Something that didn't involve leaving his friend alone and afraid.

"That still doesn't excuse forgetting you. It only hurt when you left because I cared. Because you were important to me."

"Jamie, you didn't just stop believing on your own. As I said, you were afraid. And that caught someone's attention."

Jamie turned to face him at last, staring at him with a look between worry and hope in his eyes.

"You mean... Pitch?"

Jack nodded.

"Yeah. It must have been too great an opportunity to pass up, after you refused to stop believing all those years ago. I'm so sorry, Jamie, I should have been there."

"How can you be sure about this? You're not just making it up to make me feel better, are you?"

"No. Pitch told me, after you left yesterday."

Jamie jumped to his feet, startling Jack. He grabbed the Guardian by the shoulders and looked him over, as if searching for some injuries. Jack had forgotten that last time Jamie knew of him encountering the Boogeyman was the time when he had attacked him and Sophie after Pitch infected his staff with fear. He must be assuming that whatever meeting Jack had with Pitch yesterday had not been a very friendly one. Jamie had his worried father face on, which half bothered Jack and half comforted him. He should be the one being protective of Jamie, not the other way around. Yet he couldn't deny it felt nice to have someone care like that.

"You saw Pitch? Are you hurt? Is he still around?"

"Yes, I saw him. No, I'm not hurt. And yes, he's still around. Jamie, calm down. I'm not worried about Pitch. We're back on speaking terms."

"Just like that? After everything he did to you? And what do you mean, 'back'?"

"Life is too long to spend it hating someone. And I had been on speaking terms with Pitch for three centuries before deciding to mess with his plan because I didn't like his methods, even if we had the same goal."

"The same goal? You and Pitch?" Jamie asked incredulously.

"To be seen. To be believed in. It's all I ever wanted," Jack said softly. He knelt and picked up one of the pictures, a crayon drawing of the two of them building a snowman. "It was something special for me too, you know?"

They were both silent for a long moment as they stared at the old drawings.

"I don't want to forget again. Even if it's not always easy to live with. It matters too much."

"I know."

After another silence, Jamie shook himself and started putting the drawings back in the box.

"Right. I came up here to look for my skates. I got a little side-tracked. I should hurry up before Ash and Jade comes back. Jade has been so eager to go skating. So is Ash. She says it's been so long."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'll be waiting. And I'll make sure everyone has fun."


	93. Family Time

**This is a sequel to ****_Prince of the Ice Kingdom_ and _A Box Full of Memories_.**

* * *

"Hurry up! Hurry up! We won't have time to skate!" Jade shouted as they neared the lake.

"Calm down, Jade," Ashley said, laughing. "We have several hours before we have to go home. You'll get cold before we run out of time."

"No I won't. I don't get cold."

That was one boast Jamie knew not to be true. Jade was just stubborn about admitting she was cold. Like Jamie himself had been at her age. And maybe he still was a bit stubborn about that. But they could drag her home if need be. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve and he didn't want anyone to be sick. But the weather was mild so far, with only a light snow falling. A very familiar kind of snow. It reminded him of all the times he came to skate here as a kid. Laughing, he grabbed Ashley by the hand and ran after Jade.

When she reached the edge of the lake, the girl wasted no time in tearing of her boots and throwing them aside, shoving her feet in the skates. Ashley's breathless laughter made him silently thank Jack for suggesting they come here together. She sat on a bench near Jade and put down her brand-new skates on the ground as she started to remove her own boots. Jamie glanced around the lake to find his friend. He spotted the winter spirit crouching on a tree branch and looking at them with a grin. He looked a lot happier than when they had spoken earlier today. Jamie gave him a subtle wave. Jade was a lot less subtle, waving her arms with a big smile as she jumped on the ice, shouting his name. Jamie caught her when her feet slipped from under her.

"I know you're really eager, but you need to take off your skate guards, first."

Jade gave him a sheepish smile when he pulled her on the bench. He could hear Jack laugh. She sat only long enough to remove the plastic guards and returned to the ice, taking off in Jack's direction. He flew from his perch to land on the ice and slid on his bare feet in a ring around the lake, grinning as she tried to catch him. Ashley laughed as she finished lacing her own skates, her eyes on their daughter.

"She reminds me of myself at her age. I came here a few times, even if I didn't live nearby. We used to believe that this was the home of Jack Frost. Most kids did. I guess she does, too."

"She does. I've taken her here often. I told her all the stories we used to believe as kids. I lived very close to here. We used to come here all the time, to play with Jack Frost."

He wondered what Jack had been thinking, when he came here with Jade. What was it like for him to see Jamie, the first person to believe in him, to see him, coming here like he had so many time before, but unable to see his old friend? He had taught Jade to skate here, just like he had taught Sophie many years ago, only that time he had the Guardian's help.

"Jamie! Are you going to stand there all day?" Jack shouted at him. He took a sharp turn as he reached the edge of the lake. Jade, who had been skating just behind him, cried out and flailed, unable to stop or turn in time and instead landing face first in the snow. The Guardian winked at him. Jamie laughed and sat on the bench to pull on his own skates. Ashley was done by now and stood in the snow just off the ice, looking at it warily.

"It's been so long, I'm not sure I can still do this."

"Of course you can."

Ashley tentatively moved a foot on the ice, then the other. She stayed in place, unsteady on her skates and unwilling to try moving. Jamie joined her, hooked his arm through hers and skated forward. She hanged on, letting him drag her across the frozen lake, her eyes a little wide as if she was afraid she would fall anytime. Jack slid in front of them, moving backward across the ice with a grin.

"Do you need a little help?"

He waved his hand in their direction and they were hit in the face by a flurry of snow. Jamie felt a snowflake land on his nose and the many worries that had been nagging him just seemed to melt away. All that was left was a childlike desire to have some fun. He picked up speed and spun, took off in a random direction, still dragging Ashley behind him. She shrieked and promised him he would pay for that, but there was a large smile on her face and she had started to skate on her own. She had to, if she didn't want to fall on her face.

On the other side of the lake, Jack had let Jade catch up to him and was now talking to her in a low voice as they continue their rings around the ice. They looked in their direction and Jade nodded like she was accepting a mission. She turned around and joined her parents with a large smile, taking her mother's free hand.

"Mom, I can help you skate."

"Oh, really? I won't end up in a snow bank like you did earlier?"

Jade pouted at her and tugged on her hand. Ashley patted her on the head with a smile, letting herself be pulled away. She was skating just fine by now, but she let Jade think she needed her to keep from falling, making a show of being worried when they neared the rocks and of being relieved when they avoided an unlikely collision. Jamie didn't follow, guessing that Jack had wanted a word with him. The Guardian caught up to him soon enough and grinned up at him.

"So, having fun yet?"

"Yeah," he answered softly. Ashley might be busy, but the lake wasn't so large that she wouldn't hear him talk if he spoke any louder. "I hadn't seen Ash have fun like that in a long time. We should do that more often."

"You should. It's good to see the whole family laughing together. Speaking of, you're visiting your mother for New Year's Eve, right?"

"That's right."

"And Sophie will be there?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If you can speak to her alone, would you tell her that she is formally invited to visit my Ice Kingdom?"

"Oh, so it's a kingdom, now?"

"I'm calling it that. It's your own fault."

"And when can we visit that kingdom of yours?"

"Whenever you're ready. Make sure you have a few days, you don't want to go all the way to Antarctica and be back for supper, do you?"

Jamie grinned. He was looking forward to that. Going to Antarctica with his sister to visit Jack's little ice village that he called a kingdom, that was something he would only have dreamed of as a kid. But he still didn't know what to tell Ashley. Jack must have guessed what he was thinking. He patted Jamie on the shoulder with a reassuring smile, doing a decent job at hiding the guilt Jamie knew he felt over that.

"Tell her you and Sophie are visiting a childhood friend. It's pretty true."

"Without taking the car? Or a plane?"

"I'm picking you two up here at the lake."

"All right, all right. I'll tell her as much of the truth as I can without her thinking I'm crazy."

"Jamie, who are you talking too?" Ashley called from across the lake.

"Jack Frost," Jade answered for him.

Ashley's smile was a little nostalgic as she looked around the lake, almost as if she was expecting to see winter spirit she used to think lived here.

* * *

**This is several days later than I had planned, but I'm lacking motivation lately. I might need a little break. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, or what it will be.**


	94. Frozen Waters

**Kind of part of the ****_Prince of the Ice Kingdom_****arc, but not really. But you do get a glimpse of said Ice Kingdom.**

* * *

"So? What do you think?"

"It's freezing."

Jack's shoulders slumped a little and he sighed. Bunny didn't know what the kid expected after dragging him to Antarctica to show him his new headquarters. Bunny was so cold he just wanted to return to the Warrens. No doubt the delicate ice buildings were quite beautiful, but he could not really appreciate that right now. All he really noticed was that they had too many arches and windows and must be a poor shelter from the freezing wind.

"We should try moving, then. It should get you warm."

He should have guessed what Jack was planning from the grin on his face, so he would blame the cold for numbing his reflexes and letting the snowball hit him in the face.

"How is throwing snow at me supposed to get me warm?" Bunny grumbled, shaking the snow off his fur.

Jack's grin widened and he held up a new snowball, raising an eyebrow as if to ask him if he was going to just stand there. Bunny went down on all four and bounded away, avoiding the white projectile and throwing his boomerang at the other Guardian. If the kid wanted to throw things at him, he'd soon see that Bunny was good at that game.

Jack laughed and took off, letting the boomerang fly harmlessly under his feet. He swooped back down to grab a new handful of snow. It didn't take Bunny long to realize that all he had to do was keep Jack away from the snow and the winter spirit would have nothing to throw at him. Except for blasts of ice, but that would be taking things a bit far. Soon enough, Bunny was standing on the edge of an icy cliff overlooking the sea, trying to keep Jack over the water where he had no snow to grab.

"You were right, Frostbite, I feel warmer already."

Jack pouted for half a second before diving for the snow to Bunny's right again. The Pooka grinned and tossed his boomerang once more, hoping to actually hit his elusive target this time. He got lucky, catching Jack in the middle of one of his wild tumble through the air. The winter spirit couldn't avoid it in time and Bunny heard the satisfying sound of wood connecting with wood. His victorious grin disappeared pretty quickly when the staff was knocked out of the Guardian's hands, sending him plummeting down to the sea.

"Jack! Oh no. This is bad."

Jack tried to catch his staff, but it had been knocked too far away. The Guardian could do nothing but fall. Bunny wasn't worried about the boy hurting himself falling, he knew he would survive that easily, but he did not have nearly as much confidence in his swimming skills. He had drowned before, after all. He should have known better than to keep him above the water. He shouldn't even let him near water. This might be a little irrational, but this wasn't a time to be rational.

Jack hit the water with a splash. His staff fell nearby, but remained floating on the water, out of reach of its owner. Bunny had no idea if it would have been any use to Jack under the water, where the wind could not reach him, but the Guardian would at least have felt less helpless without it. Now he could only flail in the cold, dark water, alone and without his powers. Bunny stared in horror until his returning boomerang hit him in the forehead. He rubbed the spot with a curse.

"Jack? You better learn to swim right now, because there's no way I'm jumping after you! The water's freezing. It's too cold for me, you hear? Jack? You hear me?"

He was rambling and he knew it. The kid wasn't coming back up and he couldn't count on the penguins wandering around to go save him. Preparing himself for the worst, Bunny took a deep breath and jumped.

The fall was just long enough to give him time to curse himself several time on the way down. For being a fool and jumping into the icy cold water of the Antarctic coast, for letting this happen in the first place, for coming here at all. Then, he hit the water and all he could think of was that he was going to freeze to death. But he had to find Jack, first. He had to at least pull the kid out of the water. But he couldn't even move his own limbs. He was sinking. Even if he found Jack, he wouldn't be any help. That had been a stupid thing to do.

From the corner of his vision, he spotted a tuft of white hair. He reached out to it before everything went dark.

* * *

When he woke up, Bunny had no idea where he was. He was wrapped in a blanket on a mattress in what looked like a cave decorated with silver-embroidered blue drapes to make it look like some fancy room. But Bunny could recognized a natural stone cavern when he saw one. A smokeless fire burned in a fake hearth, much like those that kept North's workshop warm.

He wondered if that was where he was. Maybe North had showed up, fished them out of the water and brought Bunny back to the North Pole so he could get warm. In some cavern that looked like it had been decorated by Jack Frost and on a bed that didn't have sheets or an actual blanket. Now that he was a bit more awake, he saw that the thing wrapped around him was the thick blue velvet cloak of Jack's Halloween costume. He must still be in Antarctica.

"Oh, you're awake. I brought you hot cocoa."

Jack stepped from behind a blue drape that likely hid the entrance, carrying a platter with a steaming mug on top. He looked even more frozen than usual, as the water soaking his clothes and hair had turned to ice. He looked worried, but otherwise fine. Bunny fell back against the mattress in relief, holding the cloak close to warm himself up.

"Was it the penguins?"

"What? No, I made the cocoa. Bunny, are you all right?"

"I meant are they the ones who saved us? And I'm fine."

His shivers gave away the lie, but he glared at Jack, challenging him to say anything about that. The boy didn't. He put the platter down on a bedside table and handed him the mug, not letting go until Bunny's hands stopped shaking enough to hold it on his own.

"It wasn't the penguins. I got us out."

"You? You can't swim."

"Of course I can. I'm just not good. It took me a while to figure out which way was up. Even longer to actually get there."

"You drowned before."

"You were drowning, too."

"It was cold, all right?" Bunny answered, defensive.

"And it was cold the day I died."

Jack didn't state the obvious, that he would have been fine without Bunny being an idiot and jumping in freezing water. He would have had an easier time swimming out alone than dragging the unconscious Pooka with him. Bunny felt embarrassed. Not only he had been no help, but he had made it even harder for the one he had been trying to save. He couldn't look Jack in the eyes, so he stared into his mug instead.

"Hey, Bunny?"

"What?"

"Thanks."

* * *

**I decided to take a break from my all-important work (by which I mean drawing a fanart of Peter Pan) to write this little chapter. Now, I might be taking that little break I talked about yesterday. **

**Also, while I was drawing fanarts, I changed the cover again. It looks weird at that size, but I was tired of the eye. Full-sized version on my tumblr and deviantart (ok, not really full-sized, since that thing is huge, but bigger).**


	95. Silver Stitches

**This is a sequel to ****_Frozen Waters._**

* * *

When he stopped shivering enough to take a good look around, Bunny got curious about the decor. He wondered where Jack had gotten so many drapes, all delicately embroidered in silver in a way that strongly reminded him of the cloak that still covered him. He wasn't even sure where the cloak came from. He had assumed North made it, but surely the man had other things to do than make drapes. Like preparing for Christmas. Sure, he saw Jack like a son and might want to help him move into his own place like a doting father, but the winter spirit wouldn't let him waste so much time on that.

Keeping the cloak wrapped around his shoulders, Bunny got out of bed and took a look around. The room was sparsely furnished and had an unfinished look to it, like Jack wasn't quite ready to welcome visitors. Bunny hadn't been supposed to sleep here. The winter spirit had only wanted him to take a look at his little ice village.

He walked to the nearest wall, to take a closer look at the drapes. The cloak's fur trim swished around his legs, not quite reaching his ankles. Even if it was too short, it made him feel like a prince. He pulled up the hood, to keep his ears warm. It was a nice cloak, he decided. It looked even better when the winter spirit wore it and frost mingled with the silvery threads. Not that he would ever admit that frost was a nice addition to anything. But it would look good on the drapes, too. He wondered if the upper rooms had drapes like that covered in frost from being exposed to the frigid Antarctic wind.

He didn't hear the other Guardian come until he pushed a drape aside and walked in. The boy had changed into his Winter Prince costume, without the crown, or the cloak Bunny still wore. It was likely the only change of clothes he had here. He carried his usual ancient pants and blue hoodie in his arms. He had pried most of the ice from his hair, but some strands remained frozen together.

"I need to use the fireplace. Are you feeling better? Do you want more cocoa?"

"I'm fine, Snowflake. I was just a little chilled." Jack nodded and started to hang his frozen clothes on the mantel. Bunny shuffled in place, still embarrassed over the day's events. "It's, uh, a nice place you got here. But the bed could use some blankets."

A thin layer of frost covered Jack's cheeks. Bunny cursed himself for not being able to just be nice.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting you to stay any longer than you absolutely had to. I haven't finished the blankets yet."

"You haven't finished them? You mean you made all those? I didn't know you could sew."

Jack looked even more embarrassed, as if he had told Bunny something that should have stayed a secret. It was that same look he got whenever Tooth asked him to sing. The boy could boast about being the best at snowball fights and sledding, but when it came to things he was not expected to be any good at, he could get pretty shy. He fussed with the clothes, as if it was going to make the frozen fabric hang any less awkwardly.

"I used to mend kids' winter clothes, so they could come play outside." Jack stared into the fire. Bunny stayed silent, feeling like the winter spirit wasn't done talking. "When they woke up in the morning and saw them, they would get exited. 'Look,' they would say, 'elves came in the night to repair them.' And they would leave out a dish of fresh milk as a thank."

There was sadness in Jack's tone and a hint of bitterness as well. Bunny joined him by the fire and tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder. The remaining ice was melting in Jack's hair, dripping on the ground. A few drops fell on his cheeks and froze there.

"Jack, I'm sorry."

"I didn't want them to be disappointed, so I would drink the milk. It made them so happy. I guess it didn't matter who they thought was doing it."

It was obvious it had mattered to him. Bunny searched desperately for something to say. There was no point in telling him that those days were over. Jack knew that. Bunny looked around for something to change the subject. Jack's hoodie caught his attention. One of the sleeve was almost falling off, the threads holding it in place mostly gone. The fabric itself looked too damaged to be easily stitched back together.

"Speaking of mending clothes, you might want to see to yours, mate. They're falling apart."

"That's all right. I'll just freeze them back together."

"Jack..."

"All right, all right. I'll repair it."

"Maybe it's time to retire them. You're a Guardian, now, and you have this fancy new home. You don't need to look like a homeless orphan anymore."

"I... maybe when I'm done settling in here, I'll think about it. I guess I could sew a new shirt."

"You don't need to."

"You're the one who just said—"

"This would do just fine."

Bunny gestured at the clothes Jack was currently wearing, the elegant blue and silver outfit he used as a Halloween costume. The Guardian stared at him in disbelief, looking down at himself, then back at Bunny as if to see if he was joking.

"I-I can't just wear this. I... it makes me look like a prince. It's just a costume. I made it for Halloween."

Bunny took off the midnight blue fur-trimmed cloak and wrapped it around Jack's shoulders instead. He made the Guardian turn to fully face him and looked him up and down.

"I think you grew into it."

Jack looked at him with wide eyes. He seemed so overwhelmed, Bunny wanted to hug him. The winter spirit looked down at himself once more before pulling the hood of his cloak up the way he did with his hoodie when he wanted to withdraw from the world around him. He kept his head down, running his fingers hesitantly on some of the silver embroidery. Frost covered the places he touched, creating the beautiful patterns Bunny remembered.

"Maybe one day," Jack said at last, "but not now."

"All right, Snowflake," Bunny answered. He wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. "Now, how about you show me around this place?"

Jack smiled timidly and nodded. Maybe one day, Bunny repeated to himself. Maybe one day the boy would see how far he had come.

* * *

**So, it looks like my break lasted only one day. This chapter was clawing at my brain while I was working, it was annoying. But this is likely the last chapter until the week-end. Then I'll try to write Jamie's and Sophie's visit to the "Ice Kingdom". **


	96. Stepping Into a Fairy Tale

**For anyone who might be interested, andreri is translating this story in Spanish. I have posted the link to it on my profile.**

**This is part of the ****_Prince of the Ice Kingdom _****arc.**

* * *

"Will you bring me a souvenir?" Jade asked, hugging her father as he got ready to leave.

"I don't know if I can get you anything other than an icicle, but I'll bring you something."

"An icicle from Jack Frost's palace. It'll do."

Jade nodded solemnly at her father, letting go of him. Ashley smiled, looking at them fondly. When Jade had asked if the old friend he was visiting was Jack Frost, Jamie had simply told her the truth. That Jack Frost had invited them to visit his summer home in Antarctica. Ashley thought this was just a story, that he wasn't willing to share details of his trip, but she didn't say anything in front of Jade.

At least Sophie was there, having shown up an hour earlier with her suitcase, talking about how eager she was to see their old friend. She acted a lot more naturally than Jamie did. He was barely able to look Ashley in the eyes. He knew he was just making things worst, it wasn't like they would be doing anything wrong, after all, but he could only stare awkwardly at his feet whenever she had asked I'm a question he couldn't answer, not willing to lie but unable to say the truth. She had thankfully stopped pressing him for details, but he feared what she might be thinking of the situation. His worry warred with his excitement over their trip and he wasn't sure which would win.

"C'mon, Jamie, we don't want to make him wait too long."

Sophie grabbed his hand to tug him to the exit, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Jamie was glad he wasn't alone in this. He didn't know what he would do without her. He gave one last smile to his family and waved at them. Jade jumped up and down, waving and shouting her goodbyes.

"Have fun, you two," Ashley said, her eyes catching Jamie's for a moment before he looked down. Sophie squeezed his hand again.

"We will," she answered with a smile. "Don't miss us too much, we'll be back tomorrow night."

Sophie pulled him outside, not letting go of his hand even after they had gone down the steps and into the street.

"Jamie, stop looking so down! Aren't you excited?"

"Of course I'm excited. I wish... I wish we could have lived this when we were children."

"Because finding an excuse to tell our mom would have been easier than finding an excuse to tell your wife?"

Jamie winced.

"Ash knows, you know?"

"That we're going to visit Jack Frost's Ice Kingdom? Then what's the problem?"

"I mean, she knows I'm hiding something from her."

"Of course she does. You act like the guiltiest husband in the world."

Jamie groaned. He would have ran a hand through his hair, but Sophie still wouldn't let go of the hand not holding his suitcase. He felt like they were still kids walking together to the lake.

"She must think I'm cheating on her. That we're going to visit some other woman and you're just covering for me."

"Don't count on me to cover for you if you really cheat on her."

"I won't!"

"Good. But don't worry. I've talked to Ashley."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I told her we were just visiting some old friend you used to have a crush on."

"Soph!" Jamie looked at her in horror. Sophie burst out laughing. He glared at his sister. "Don't scare me like that."

"Don't worry. I don't think she took it seriously." Jamie's eyes widened when he realized Sophie really had said that to his wife. But he supposed she would be less likely to believe it if it was an obvious joke. Sophie's face turned serious before she continued. "Jamie, Ash trusts you. Sure she knows you're hiding something from her, but she still trusts you. She asked me if you were in trouble. If that friend we're visiting is a criminal. She thinks that's why you won't talk to her. That you got involved with some old friend who went bad."

"She does?"

"I had to assure her that you weren't involved with the mafia, or anything like it. You aren't, right?"

He gaped at her.

"Of course not."

"Just making sure. Anyway, I told her what I could. That we're visiting a childhood friend. That he's a very good guy. That we used to be really close to him but drifted apart later. That you met up with him again on Halloween. Only the truth, as much of it as possible."

Jamie was relieved. Sophie could reassure Ashley. She didn't feel guilty about hiding their friendship with the Spirit of Winter, so she didn't act nearly as suspicious as he did. Hopefully, she would be able to convince her that whatever they were hiding was pretty innocent. He was glad she had stuck to the truth. Hiding things was one thing, lying another. That was when he remembered what she said earlier. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Only the truth? You said I used to have a crush on said old friend."

"Well, you always looked star-struck whenever he was around."

"That's not a crush! He is Jack Frost, of course I was a little star-stuck."

"Whatever you say. I call that a crush," she said with an innocent smile. She continued without letting argued. "She asked me to take care of you."

"What? Who?"

"Ashley, who else?"

"She asked you to take care of me?"

"That's what I just said. She's worried for you, Jamie. She said you're acting all sad and anxious and you're refusing help." She squeezed his hand again. "So I promised her I'd make sure you're all right. And I will, you hear me?"

He stared at her, his eyes wide, and nodded. He wanted to just say he was fine like he had so many times recently, but this was Sophie. She wouldn't believe him anyway.

"I... thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now hurry up, we're almost there. We're going to the Ice Kingdom, Jamie! Do you realize? And we're going to have fun together, with Jack, like in the good old days."

Jamie laughed.

"You talk about the 'Ice Kingdom' like you've wanted to go your whole life. You only heard about it recently."

"But it's Jack Frost's Ice Kingdom! That's all I need to know."

"I hear it's more a village than a kingdom."

"Don't ruin it, Jamie. Oh, look! Jack's waiting for us. Come on, let's run!"

Still holding his hand, Sophie ran to meet up with Jack, dragging him behind her. Not that he wasn't quite willing to follow. His excitement over their trip to Antarctica made him hurry to run up to the Guardian sitting on one of the large flat rock surrounding the frozen lake. Jack had traded his usual blue hoodie for the outfit he had been wearing when he saw him for the first time in many years on Halloween night, the cloak spread around him on the rock. Light reflected on the ice crown circling his head. He might as well have been sitting on a throne. They came to a stop in front of him, staring a little. Jack looked down at his knees when he noticed, tugging on his clothes.

"Morning, you two." He jumped down from the rock, smoothed the dark blue silk tunic he wore and gave them an embarrassed smile. "I figured if you were coming to visit my 'kingdom' I might as well look the part."

It was impressive how much of a change it made. Even nervous as he obviously was, the costume made him look more imposing, less childish. Yet this felt more like the Jack he remembered. Infinitely older and wiser than him. He felt like a child again. Sophie elbowed him in the ribs.

"That's exactly the starry-eyed look I was talking about earlier," she whispered in his ear.

Jamie dropped his suitcase, grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it in his sister's coat, smiling in satisfaction at her surprised shriek. Jack looked at them with a bemused smile.

"Did I miss something?"

"Nothing important."

When Sophie was done shaking the snow out of her coat, she hugged Jack, then grabbed his arm and gave him a bright smile.

"Can we go to that Ice Kingdom of yours now, my prince?"

Jack laughed and took out a snow globe from his cloak with an exaggerated gesture, brandishing it in front of him.

"Of course, my lady, right this way." He gave the globe a shake and brought it to his lips, whispering, "Ice Kingdom."

The portal opened in front of them, showing them the most stunning vista he had ever seen. In a stark white landscape, delicate ice towers rose on the edge of a sheer cliff. The sun shun from right behind them, it's rays piercing the translucent buildings and making them glow. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. Sophie came back to him to grab her suitcase, walking backward to avoid turning her eyes away. She grabbed Jamie's hand again and together they crossed the portal, stepping on the cliff overlooking the sea. They stopped there to fully take in the view.

Jack walked through after them, the portal closing behind him. He grinned at them as they stared in amazement.

"Welcome to the Ice Kingdom."

* * *

**To be continued. Sorry this turned into one big conversation rather than the visit to the Ice Kingdom I had promised. I'll write that next chapter.**


	97. Welcome to the Ice Kingdom

**This is part of the Ice Kingdom arc.**

* * *

Antarctica wasn't as cold as Jamie expected. Of course, it was summer right now. He could only imagine what it was like in winter. Sophie walked several steps in front of him and Jack, eager to reach the glittering towers of the Ice Kingdom. Which looked more like an actual kingdom than he had expected.

"I thought you said it was just a handful of buildings? It's bigger than I thought."

Jack gave him an embarrassed smile, straightening his crown even if it didn't need it.

"I added a few towers when you agreed to come. They're just for show, nothing's inside. Don't tell Sophie."

"I won't," he said with a grin.

"What are you two whispering about?" Sophie asked, turning around.

"Nothing!" they answered together with matching innocent smile.

"Well, quit flirting and hurry up. I want to see what's inside those towers already."

"As you command, my lady," Jack said with a bow before flying up to her. "But I have to warn you, some of those towers contain dangerous magical experiments and you can't visit them."

Jack turned back to Jamie and winked at him. He had to stop himself from laughing. Lifting his suitcase higher, he ran the few steps separating him from the other two. They were almost there, now, and they could take a better look at the towers that made up Jack's kingdom. They were tall and slender, tapering to a point like inverted icicles. Stairs ran against the outside walls instead of inside and several arches pierced those walls to allow entry. Multiple windows finished giving them an open, airy look. This didn't surprised Jamie, as Jack had never been too comfortable inside. He liked being able to feel the wind in his hair.

Small figures moved around the towers, flitting in and out. They must be the sprites Jack told him about. Many stopped to watch them, chatting among themselves in excitement. It looked like they were just as happy to see them as he and Sophie were to be here. Coming out of all of the various towers, they started crowding the area where they would reach the village. There was only a dozen of them, but the way they never seemed to stand still made the group look bigger.

"They're adorable," Sophie said.

"They're going to swarm you in a moment. Just wait it out, they'll calm down soon enough."

"I don't supposed you get a lot of visitors here," Jamie said.

"The other Guardians come over, sometimes. But none of the sprites have ever been seen by any humans. That's new to them."

"None of them?"

"They didn't even have names before I took them here. Even when people know your name it's hard to be believed in, so imagine when they don't. As far as anyone is concerned, they don't exist. But I'm planning to change that."

They were only a few paces away now and some of the sprites stared to move forward, hesitantly at first, until one of them ran up to Sophie, lifted a pale blue hand, stopped a second as if unsure while every other sprite froze in place and watched, and finally touched her arm. The childlike being looked at Sophie with large, amazed blue eyes when his hand didn't go through her before hugging her legs. She patted his messy white hair. The sprite's small shoulder shook as he sobbed.

It was as if a dam had broken. The other sprites ran to them and started to poke them and tug on their clothes and hair. Some cheered and laughed and a few started to cry. Jamie wasn't too sure how to react. He rubbed one on the back and it just made him cry harder. Jack looked at all of them with a pleased smile on his face. Jamie recalled that the Guardian himself had been overjoyed when Jamie had first seen him.

As Jack had predicted, the sprites calmed down after a while. They backed away enough to give them some space, but kept staring at them, chattering among themselves in a language that sounded like silver bells and cracking ice. Jamie noticed for the first time that a few wore ancient tattered white tunics while most had new clothes in various shades of blue, with silver embroidery matching that on Jack's own outfit. None of them wore shoes. Looking at them all together, with Jack standing in the middle of the crowd, soothing the excited sprites and sending them on their way with a smile, he thought they looked like a family, with Jack as their father. That was an odd thing to think about.

"I hope you enjoyed the welcome committee," Jack said when the crowd had dispersed.

"I hadn't expected such a warm welcome," Jamie answered.

"Expect them to stare at you all week-end. Now, come, I'll show you the guest rooms so you can drop your suitcases there."

They walked between two of the towers on the edge of Jack's kingdom and reached a central plaza. Or rather, a central skating rink. With penguins. Some of the sprites hadn't gone any farther than this and were chasing each others on the ice. The black and white birds seemed unfazed, only making the occasional indignant sound when a sprite came close to colliding with them. Jamie grabbed Jack's cloak and tugged on it his eyes not leaving the ice.

"Say, can we skate with the penguins later?"

"Sure, you can."

Jamie grinned widely and saw the expression mirrored on Sophie's face. Jack looked at them, then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

The Guardian ruffled his hair like he used to when he was a kid, and never mind the fact that Jamie was taller than him.

"That's the Jamie I remember."

Jamie's grin widened. He had been afraid the Guardian of Fun would lose interest in him now that he was a boring adult. But maybe he could be an adult without being boring. His silly grin stayed on his face as he followed the Guardian inside a tower. He didn't even care that Sophie was looking at him, trying to stifle her laughter with one hand. They were visiting a city of ice at the end of the world and he remembered what it was like to be a child. He was determined not to forget again.

* * *

**I'm going to stop it here for now, otherwise you might never get a chapter. My motivation is dwindling everyday. If I don't post this now I might not finish it. Updates might get a bit less frequent for a while.**


	98. Guided Tour

**Part of the Ice Kingdom arc.**

* * *

"This is the Tower of Sleep," Jack said, gesturing to the entrance hall of the tower. Penguins waddled around and huddled in corners, where the wind wouldn't reach them. A circular hole in the center of the ceiling would allow someone to fly to the upper level, which was likely faster than using the stairs outside. Along the far wall, another set of stair led down. "The penguins live on this level. Not that I invited them, but they're living here anyway. No one minds. The levels above have rooms for the sprites and my own at the top. The guest room are underground. Sorry about that, I had to be able to keep them warm."

"At least we'll be sleeping somewhere warm," Sophie said. She had been worried they would need to huddle in a frozen room. But he must have made guest rooms so the other Guardians could stay if needed.

Jamie was staring at everything in wonder, his silly grin still on his lips, like a kid whose hero just patted him on the head. It felt good to see him in such a good mood. It had been too long. She had to take his arm when Jack started down the stairs or he might have gaped at the penguins all day. He followed them, his fingers trailing on the frozen stone walls of the staircase.

It got comfortably warm once they reached the lower level. They entered a small circular area with couches and a low table. Blue drapes hanged from the walls and a fire burned in a fireplace on the opposite side. There was no wood in the fireplace, or anything else that could maintain a fire, so Sophie assumed it must be magical. Her brother walked to it to take a closer look.

"Careful, Jamie. Fire is hot," Jack said with a grin.

"How does it work? Did you make it? I didn't know you could make magic fires."

"I can't and I try to stay away from it. It was a gift from North. He uses them to keep his own workshop warm. You'd have to ask him how they work, I don't know. Now, come on, I'll show you your rooms."

Jack parted a curtain, revealing an opening in the stone leading to a short hallway with another curtain at the end. Beyond that second hanging cloth was a room similarly decorated in richly embroidered blue drapes, with a bed, a bedside table, it's own fireplace, a desk and a chair. Mirrors covered what parts of the walls weren't hidden behind fabric, making the room seem larger and giving the impression that they were inside an ice palace.

"It's beautiful," Sophie said. "Where do you get all these drapes? They match your clothes. Do the sprites make them?"

Jack shrugged and mumbled something, frost spreading on his cheeks. An old memory came back to Sophie, of Jack mending the sleeve of her coat as a child. She grinned. She knew the answer to her question. Jamie laughed. Jack grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to the exit, turning back to Jamie as he pushed her out.

"We'll let you get settled while I show Sophie her own room. Don't forget where the exit is!"

Back in the central room, Jack pulled another drape and held it for her, gesturing for her to go ahead. They entered a new room, similar yet different from the one Jamie would stay in. Sophie placed her suitcase by the bed.

"Jamie looks happier than I remember him being in a long time," Jack said in a low voice.

"He was really eager to come here. There were... issues that worried him, but here, we're so far away from anything else. He managed to forget them. It's like being in a fairytale, Jack. Reality doesn't matter right now. Jamie can be a kid again. We both can."

"I hope he can keep his smile when he returns to Burgess."

"I think he will. Thank you, Jack, for making him laugh like he used too. I missed the old Jamie. He wasn't quite the same after he stopped believing. Like a part of him was gone. But he found it again."

Jack smiled, but there was something strained about it, like he didn't believe everything would be fine from now on. But Sophie was sure it would be better.

"What are you two whispering about?" Jamie asked, parting the curtain.

"Nothing," they said in an echo of earlier today, when Sophie had been the one asking that question. Jamie grinned.

"Well, quit flirting and hurry up. I want to see what's inside those towers already."

Sophie laughed as her brother threw her own words back at her. Jack shook his head with a bemused smile.

"What's with you adults and thinking everyone is flirting?"

If he hadn't been wearing that ice crown, Sophie would have ruffled his hair.

* * *

"This one is the Tower of Sweets. That's where we make the candies for Halloween. Come inside!"

Jack flew up the short flight of stair to the entrance, turning to them with a grin. Sophie and Jamie looked at each other. They had no ideas what to expect, but they both agreed it was bound to be wonderful. A magical candy factory. They ran up the icy stairs, almost falling a few time in their eagerness, before joining Jack. They gaped at what they saw inside.

It didn't look like a factory. Hundred of stalactites hung from the ceiling, making the room look like a great ice cave. Light filtered through translucent ice walls or entered through large windows, reflecting on every frozen surface. The stalactites, the ice-carved table in the center and Jack's ice crown all seemed to glitter. It almost blinded Sophie as she stepped inside the room.

A few sprites flitted around the room, breaking off pieces of ice to carry to the table. They threw glances at the two humans, smiling shyly when they were noticed. Sophie and Jamie watched in wonder as a sprite made several pieces burst into tiny ice shards all swirling together like a small snowstorm. The sprite flew to the ceiling, the mini-storm following, and guided the shard to form a new, much smaller stalactite hanging among the other ones.

"Each of them tastes different. We make new flavors here and, when they're ready, we make them into candies on the next floor."

"You make candies from ice?" Jamie asked.

"Why not? North makes toys from ice. We're pretty much all ice specialists here, so I don't see why we couldn't make whatever we want out of it. Want to taste?"

Jack didn't wait for an answer and flew up to the nearest large stalactite, chipped two pieces off and flew back to them, holding up the ice shards. Jamie took one without hesitation and put it in his mouth.

"Don't eat them too fast, they're cold."

"Fire's hot, ice is cold. Thank you, Jack, I don't know what he would do without you," Sophie said with a smile, taking her own piece from him. Jamie glared at her, but, with the piece of ice still in his mouth, he couldn't talk back. Sophie carefully tasted hers. The taste was hard to describe, but it reminded her of frozen fruit salad."

"That flavor is called Summer Chill. We have to come up with names for all of them if we want to keep track of them."

"I like it," Jamie said. Jack beamed.

"So, you want to see where they're made into candies?"

"Of course!"

"To the stairs, then."

Climbing the ice stair outside turned out to be quite an adventure. There was no railing and the wind blew harder the higher they got. It was challenging, but not frightening. Jack flew next to them, his fur-trimmed cloak wiping about in the wind. He smiled reassuringly at them whenever they stumbled and Sophie didn't doubt that he wouldn't let them fall. They reached the next floor safely and entered through an arch in the outside wall.

One sprite was already settled at a table, a block of ice in front of him and a bowl on the side. Another one flew from the hole in the ground with his own chunk of ice. Jack gestured to Jamie and Sophie to sit around the first sprite, who grinned widely, obviously pleased at his human audience. The Guardian crouched on one of the armrest of Jamie's chair.

"That's Minty Fresh. The sprite, I mean, not the ice's flavor. He'll make a demonstration for you," Jack said. They leaned forward in their chair for a better look. With grand gestures, the sprite split the block into several smaller pieces and started shaping them into snowflakes. No two was quite alike, much like real snowflakes. When he was done, Minty Fresh dropped them in the bowl and raised it with a proud smile.

"They're candies, now. They don't look any different, since we want them to look like ice, but they're not cold anymore. Now all that's left is tasting them. We're trying out new flavors, right now. When we get near Halloween, we'll choose the ones we want to use this year. This room will get a lot more crowded." Jack took the bowl and jumped back down to the floor. "I'm sure you won't mind visiting the tasting room?"

"We sure don't!" Sophie answered.

Another trip up the frozen stairs and they ended up in what looked like a cozy living room. Bowls filled with candies sat on a table in the center, each with a sheet of paper next to them. Two sprites chattered together, sometime popping a candy into their mouth or scribbling on the papers. Jack dropped down on a couch, lounging on it with his cloak spread around him. He placed the bowl he was holding on the table and grabbed a snowflake candy. Jamie and Sophie didn't need to be told what to do.

"That's Breeze and Wuff. They're the ones currently on tasting duty, but we all take turns. We want everyone to taste each candy. It's not a job anyone minds, even if we get the occasional awful one."

They spent the next half-hour sitting here chatting with the sprites. They did not understand a word they were saying, but Jack happily translated when the enthusiastic gestures weren't enough. They tried one of every kind of candy on the table, giving their opinion of each so the sprite could scribble them on their papers.

"This one tastes like lemonade."

"Oh, I love this one!"

"That one... I'm not so sure about."

The two sprites looked so happy to be talking to them, Sophie wanted to hug them. She wondered if she could adopt a sprite. Then she remembered that, for all they looked like little children, they were most likely older than her.

"Jade will be so jealous when I tell her I ate candies here. She loves those snowflakes candies so much."

"Well, I got good news for her. We're going to the Tower of Keeping next. Which is our fancy name for the storage rooms. You can grab a bag of candy for her there."

"And for us?" Sophie asked with the most charming smile she could manage.

"And for you. Just... don't forget to floss, or Tooth will kill me."

Jack grabbed a pile of papers next to a stack of empty bowl on the way out. Once outside, he tapped his staff on the stairs' landing. Jamie and Sophie gasped as the stairs turned into a slide, spiraling around the tower to the ground below.

"After you," The Guardian of Fun said.

It was a short, but exciting trip back to the ground that ended with the sibling landing in a pile on the snow, laughing. Jack slid down behind them on his bare feet and flew over with a laugh when they crash-landed at the base of the tower. Jamie and Sophie stood, shaking the snow off their clothes.

The room where they store the candies in the Tower of Keeping was mostly empty, but there was enough to fill the four bags of candies Jack gave them.

"Those are our best ones. We always keep a small supply of them. Bring some for Ashley, too. Those on the far left tastes like strawberry. She likes strawberries, no?"

It was a proof of the effect this place had on Jamie that his smile didn't even wavered when Jack mentioned his wife. He just looked happy to be bringing candies to his family.

"Jade wanted a souvenir, so I guess those will do."

"Nah. I have something better for her. Something that'll last. I just need to drop these papers at the archive, then we're off to the last tower on this little tour."

"Right," Sophie said, "because the other towers are full of dangerous magical experiments."

"Exactly."

She didn't miss the smile that the Guardian exchanged with her brother. _Magical experiments. Right._

* * *

"Hush? Are you there?"

The archive was a small, well organized room with shelves full of binders and cases of rolled paper. The windows here all had thin sheets of clear ice so that the wind didn't enter. It was on the top floor of the Tower of Keeping, past some ordinary storage rooms.

A sprite peeked from under the child-sized desk he had been hiding under. He took one look at Jamie and Sophie before ducking our of sight again. Jack gave them a sheepish smile.

"Hush is a little shy. Come on, there's no need to hide. They're my friends." The sprite poked his head out again, but stayed under the desk. Jack waves his pile of papers at him with an encouraging smile. "I've got things for you to file."

The sprite finally crawled out from under the desk and carefully approached them, keeping Jack between him and the two humans. He snatched the papers from the Guardian and ran back to the desk.

"Hush, this is Sophie and Jamie, two good friends of mine."

The sprite stared at them with large blue eyes, hugging his papers to his chest, but made no move to come nearer and didn't say anything. Sophie took a careful step forward and held out her hand.

"Hello. I'm happy to meet you."

Hush hesitantly took one step, then another, until he was close enough to raise a trembling hand. He stop, withdrew it, then held it out again, finally taking Sophie's offered hand. He squeezed it, his hand shaking, before quickly running back to hide behind Jack's legs. The Guardian patted his head comfortingly.

"We're all having dinner together, tonight. We'd be happy to see you there."

The sprite didn't answer and Jack didn't seem to be expecting him to. Sophie had yet to hear him make a sound. Jamie had wandered to the shelves and was looking at the binders with great interest.

"What's all those? Only candy flavors? That's a lot of them."

"Nah, There's more. Hush keeps the weather maps I make each years before Halloween so I can keep track of storms and redirect them. He keeps records on a lot of things, too. Local weathers, water levels, penguins populations, accounts of special events. That kind of things. Hush likes gathering information."

"That's not something I had expected a winter sprite to care about," Jamie mused.

"There's a lot more to winter than having fun in the snow. That's just the part I like best. You got winter sprites that are as wild as a blizzard, others are calm and quiet like a light snowfall. Some are cold and distant, others want to stick together. It's all just different aspects of winter. Ice preserves things and that's what Hush does. He preserves information." Jack ruffled the sprite's hair with a smile. "Now, come on. Only one more tower to visit, then you get to skate with the penguins."

* * *

When they entered the Tower of Relaxation, Sophie felt like she had just stepped inside a her brother's living room when Jade invited friend over. Sprites were scattered around a room with couches, playing children's games. Three of them sat on the ground, playing some pink board game with fairies and unicorns pieces. Two more played with a ball that lit up various colors and made music every time it bounced.

"North brings us toys to test. The sprites are pretty happy to do that for him." Jack brought them back up the stair, passing the next floor without entering. "That's the dining room and the kitchen is over there. We don't need to eat, but it's nice sometime. Especially when we have guests."

At the top of the tower, they entered a large room filled with tables and bookcase. A library. That wasn't something Sophie had expected to find here. The shelves were full of colorful books. She pulled one as she walked by a shelve, looking at the cover depicting a family of mice wearing hats. Children's books.

"Where do these all come from?" Jamie asked.

"Here and there. Sometime we find boxes of them on the sidewalks, when people move out of their old homes. Some are old fairy tales and stories we wrote from memory." Jack gestured to a sprite sitting at a table, writing. "That's Jackie. He likes writing his own stories. He wrote many of the ones we have here."

"You got quite a collection. What do you do with them? Read them?"

"Sure. But mostly, we keep them here only temporarily. There's many kids out there who could use a bit more magic and happy endings in their lives. We make sure they find a book when they need one." Jack brushed his fingers against the spine of some books, his eyes far away. He shook himself and looked back at them. "I said I had something for Jade, didn't I? Over here."

Jack led them to a stack of book on a table and took the one on top, handing it to Jamie. Sophie looked over her brother's shoulder at the cover showing a group of winter sprites, drawn in a whimsical style she recognized from a few Easter eggs found over the years.

"You made this," she said.

"I told you earlier that I planned on having children know the sprites names. So I wrote a story. About them. There's thirteen sprites here and all of them, even Hush, make an appearance. Take a copy for Jade. Tell her about the sprites."

Jamie reverently turned the pages of the book, staring at the illustrations of all the little sprites they had met today. He nodded to Jack, solemn.

"I will."

"Good. Then go get your skates while I grab some sandwiches. We're going skating."

* * *

**This was much longer than usual, but I feel like there's little content. Just a lot of descriptions. Ah, well. Sorry. Still two chapter for that arc, meaning I'll be wrapping it up in chapter 100. Then I'll do some random oneshots before starting a new arc (though I'm still hesitating on that next arc)**

**Also, I changed the cover again, since I was starting to hate the last one. I don't know how long I'll keep that one. Most likely until I draw something I like better.**


	99. Afternoon With Friends

**Part of the Ice Kingdom arc. Only one more after that.**

* * *

Jamie dashed up the stone stairs leading up from the guest rooms, not bothering to wait for Sophie. She'd join him soon enough. He was too excited to sit around waiting even a moment for his sister. He didn't really know why, how the penguins would really improve his ice skating experience. Maybe it was because it was such an unlikely thing to do or maybe it was the memory of a lone penguin on an ice platform in the Caribbean Sea, a grinning winter spirit sitting beside it, waving at him. Whatever it was, it filled him with a childish delight that had been all too absent from his life these past few years.

On the ground floor of the Tower of Sleep, sprites were trying to coax some penguins outside and onto the ice. They seemed to get along well. He wondered if it was because they were nature spirits or the birds had simply gotten used to them. His musing were interrupted by Sophie storming into the room and almost crashing into him.

"Watch it!"

"Don't just stand there!"

"I was only catching my breath."

"You need to exercise more."

"Hey there, kids, no need to fight. I brought lunch," Jack interrupted, raising two sandwiches like a peace offering. "Egg salad for Sophie and spicy capicollo for Jamie. Will that do?"

Sophie laughed.

"You know very well it's my favorite."

Jamie was a bit more surprised. The spicy capicollo sandwich was something Ashley had introduced him to. It had quickly become his favorite. He hadn't expected Jack to keep such a close eye on them after they stopped believing. He took a bite from it. It was a bit chilled, but it tasted just like he liked it.

"It's perfect."

"It taste like mom's egg salad."

"Of course it does, I watched her make it often enough."

"You know," Sophie said, "it's kind of creepy that you can watch people when they have no idea you're there."

Jack blinked at her.

"Er... I guess it is. Are you coming to skate, or what?"

Jamie took large bites out of his sandwich as he walked out of the tower, barely chewing before swallowing. He was done eating by the time they reached the ice. The sprites had managed to get most of the penguins on the ice and were now running around them, laughing. Jamie grinned and sat down in the snow to take off his boots and pull his skates on. Sophie shoved the remainder of her sandwich in her mouth and did the same.

The siblings were soon skating on the rink in the center of the Ice Kingdom, years of practice making it easy to avoid crashing into any sprite or waddling bird. The penguins shuffled around a little nervously at first, but Jack would have none of that. A wave of his staff sent snowflakes all around, landing on everyone's nose or beak before dissolving into a blue glow.

"Cheer up!"

Jamie laughed as the birds started to slide around on the ice, chasing each others around. The Guardian of Fun threw a snowball into the crowd, hitting a sprite on the chest and knocking him down. A penguin crashed into him and Sophie had to veer around to avoid falling over them. After that, snowballs started to fly from everywhere and Jamie couldn't stop laughing. It was a free-for-all and even Jack didn't come out of it without getting hit a few times.

By the time things quieted down, hours later, Jamie had crashed into a pile of snow without being quite sure how it happened other than the vague memory of tripping over something while trying to avoid a projectile and sliding across the ice until he reached the snow border. His clothes were soaked and he was shivering, but he hadn't even realized he was cold before now. He spotted Sophie a little farther, shaking snow out of her coat. Jack ran across the ice, laughing, and skid to a halt in front of him, offering him his hand.

"You two go get dry while I make dinner. I'll get you when it's ready."

"Are you always the one cooking?" Jamie asked, taking the offered hand.

"We don't eat often, unless there's guests. Icing Sugar does most of the cooking, but you two look like you could use a warm meal and I'm not letting the sprites use the stove. It's dangerous for winter spirits."

"Even you?"

"I've fought Pitch, I can handle a stove."

With that, Jack turned around and flew to the Tower of Relaxation. Sophie joined him, rubbing her arms, her hair plastered to her head. She still had a big grin on her face.

"I could use some time by the fire."

Jamie nodded and skated to where they had left their mercifully dry boots. He pulled off his skates and his wet socks and shoved his feet into the warm footwear. He was chilled, but it was the good kind of chill. The one that came from not wanting to go back inside where it's warm because he was having too much fun. Still, he let out a sigh of relief when they reached the guest area. Jamie let his coat fall on the ground and sat in front of the fire, not bothering yet with getting to his room and changing into dry clothes. Sophie sat next to him, a sad smile on her face.

"Why did we ever stopped doing that?" she asked him. "We used to play in the snow all day. We had fun. Being adults shouldn't keep us from having fun. We had such a great time today."

"If you ever want to come over and throw a snowball at me, you're welcome. We can play outside until our hands are too numb to move and huddle inside with a hot cocoa afterward. Just like we used to."

"I'm sure Jade would love that. Do you think we can drag Ashley in a snowball fight?"

"We can sure try."

* * *

"So, are you two hungry?"

"Starving," Jamie said, standing up.

Sophie and him had time to change by now and had been sitting on the couches, chatting about their amazing day. They followed Jack to the Tower of Relaxation, where a few sprites already sat at the dining table, with more coming in. The table was filled with food, mostly fruits, sliced vegetables with dips, cold cut meat, salads and other food that didn't required cooking. Some rolls had been stuffed with leftover egg salad and, at one end, a pot had been placed on a tick cloth, steam rising from it. Jack sat at that end of the table, took off his cloak, threw it over the back of the chair and gestured at the two seats on each side of him. Sitting down, Jamie could smell the wonderful sent rising from the pot.

"What's that?"

"Yeti stew."

"Y-Yeti stew?"

Jack laughed.

"Don't worry, there's no yeti in it. It's their specialty. I never tasted it myself, but North always said it was delicious."

Most of the sprites were there, now. Jamie recognized the one sitting on the other end of the table, across from Jack, as the same who had first run to them when they first arrived. Three chairs remained empty but, counting the sprites present, Jamie realized that only one was missing. Hush. Jack looked a little sad, but he smiled at Jamie and Sophie.

"So, you've met all of my little helpers, but I never formally introduced all of you. Let's fix that. Sprites of the Ice Kingdom, these are my good friends, Jamie and Sophie."

The sprites nodded, waved and murmured in their languages, smiling at the two of them. Jamie smiled back, feeling a little intimidated at having all of them stare at him with those large frosty blue eyes. Sophie's own smile was warm, the same smile as when she looked at small children or kittens.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," she said.

"Jamie, Sophie," Jack continued, "you know some of them already, but let me introduce everyone anyway. This, across the table, is Wynt. On the left, you have Breeze, Arctica, Jackie, Derzan and Icing Sugar. On the right, Hail, Sparkling Ice, Wuff, Richard, Minty Fresh and Polar."

Jack didn't comment on Hush's absence, instead telling them to dig in. Jamie didn't need to be told twice. He lifted the cover of the pot in front of him, enjoying the way the wonderful-smelling steam rose from it. The sprites seemed torn between leaning away from the heat or forward to smell it better. Jamie ladled a good portion into a bowl while Sophie grabbed some of the egg salad rolls. He filled another bowl for her too, handing it to her before tasting his own.

The stew was thick, tasty and, most importantly, warm. It was exactly what he needed after spending most of the day in the cold. He could feel it's warmth in his stomach, heating him from the inside. He took a second, larger spoonful.

"This is delicious. You have to teach me how to cook that."

"Jamie fancy himself a cook."

"I know."

"Oh, right. You creepily watch us."

"Sophie's just jealous because she can't make anything more complex than a grilled cheese sandwich."

Sophie glared. Jack grinned, biting into an apple. The sprites were chattering, throwing frequent glances their way. Wynt seemed to be leading the conversation, but it was a chaotic mess of sound that Jamie couldn't begin to understand. Jack lounged in his chair, gazing at all of them with a content smile on his lips.

Some time after the meal started, while Sophie was trying to speak with Breeze despite the language barrier, Jamie saw something moving from the corner of his eyes. He turned to see the missing sprite trying to sneak in unnoticed. Hush's eyes widened when he was spotted and he froze in his tracks. Jamie thought for a moment that he might run.

"Hush. You're here just in time, we were almost out of blueberries," Jack said casually before turning his attention elsewhere, as if Hush's arrival was no big deal. Jamie got the hint and stopped staring at the timid sprite. Wynt took the bowl of blueberries and emptied it on the plate in front of the free chair next to him and everyone returned to their normal conversation, letting the late arrival make his way to his chair without anyone paying him too much attention.

"So, where did you guys met?" Jamie asked Jack.

"Oh, here and there. Many of them lived here in Antarctica. I came here often, before I became a Guardian. I met Wynt near the North Pole after getting kicked out of North's workshop for the fifth time."

Jack laughed at the memory. Jamie and Sophie stared at him, shocked.

"North kicked you out?" Sophie asked.

"North didn't even know I was there. It was Phil, the yeti, who kept catching me when I tried to sneak in. It was a game and, somewhere along the way, I forgot I was trying to get inside. It was more about seeing how long it would take him to find me."

Jamie listened with rapt attention. Jack didn't often talk about himself and especially not about his life before becoming a Guardian. He knew the Spirit of Winter had been around for a little over three centuries and had spent most of that time alone, but he didn't know much else. Not how he spent that time, how he kept his smile. Jack was in a nostalgic mood, tonight, and Jamie took advantage of that to ask questions.

Jack told them stories, about how he met the other sprites, about children, about playing pranks on Bunny. A small smile stayed on his lips through the evening, nothing like the crooked grin Jamie was more familiar with. It was different from the uncertain smile that he had sometime seen, in the first years he had known him and more recently, since he had started to believe again. This smile was older, more mature, less hurt. Jamie wondered if Jack had ever really stopped to think about the good times he had before becoming a Guardian before now.

The evening seemed to go in a blink. He had not realized how late it was until Jack told him. He had forgotten how late the sun set this far south in summer. But it was dark outside, now, and the moon shone, so bright, it's light piercing the wall of ice to bathe the dining room in a silver glow. Some of the sprites had fallen asleep in their chairs. Jack stood and picked up his cloak again.

"Time for bed, kids. Let me walk you to back to your rooms."

Now that he was aware of the time, Jamie yawned. It had been a long day, filled with excitements and he was eager to curl up in bed. He didn't want to wake up to late tomorrow, after all. They walked back to the Tower of Sleep together in silence, Jack fidgeting with the edge of his cloak like he was nervous about something.

"Jack, are you all right?" Sophie asked when they were back in the guest area.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You two should go sleep, I have a surprise for you tomorrow."

Jack gave them a strained smile and Jamie felt like that surprise wasn't something the Guardian was really looking forward to.

"What kind of surprise?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? I'll send someone to get you for breakfast. Now, are you going to sleep or do you need me to tuck you in?"

Sophie placed a hand on the Guardian's shoulder.

"You know you don't have to do anything for us that you don't want to, right? We're your guests, here."

"I know. But it's not only for you. Don't worry, just go sleep. You'll understand tomorrow."

Sophie hesitated a moment, but nodded.

"If you say so. Good night, Jack. Night, Jamie."

Jamie didn't leave right away when Sophie did. Jack frowned at him.

"Jamie..."

"I just have a question."

"Let's hear it."

Jamie shuffled in place a little, embarrassed.

"You see... I made things really awkward with Ashley before I left. I was... overly vague and I'm not sure how much she believed what I told her, even if it was true. I said I was visiting a friend called Jack, but I wouldn't say more about that."

"It would have been better to give her some details, even if they weren't strictly true. To let her sleep easy. It's not like you're doing anything wrong."

"That's what I'm thinking, now. So, since she won't believe it if I said my friend's name is Jack Frost, what surname should I give you?"

"You could chose whatever name you want, it's not like I'm going to contradict you."

"I know, but it would feel weird to just give you a name."

Jack laughed and ruffled his hair.

"You could go with Overland. It was my name when I was human."

"You used to be human?" Jamie asked, his eyes widening. "I thought you were some kind of nature spirit."

"I was and I am. But let's keep that story for another day, all right? It's late and you should be sleeping."

"All right. But don't think I'll forget."

"I know you won't."

"Good night, Jack."

"Sleep well."

* * *

**Just a little note, since I know not everyone is clear on how much Jamie knew about Jack's past, you can find that info in ****_Always Believe. _****That's pretty much all he knows.**

**I'm still hesitating about the next arc I want to write, but not about whether or not I'll write it. I'm just not sure if I should post it here or as a separate story. It would work as a self-contained story and I wouldn't have to worry about the Winter Child continuity. It would end up being a less complex story, which is both good and bad. But I'm mostly worried it might get too long for this short story collection. And maybe too dark (but it should stay within my T rating, if I don't push things too far).**


	100. Ending Secrets

**100th chapter! I should celebrate. Not sure how yet.**

**Ice Kingdom arc (last part for now)**

Jack smoothed his cloak around him for the seventh time in as many minutes. He had been sitting on a couch facing the entrance on the Tower of Relaxation since sending the four sprites on their mission. He knew it wouldn't take long for them to return, but every minutes felt like agony. He thought of all the possible scenarios, turning them around in his head, trying to prepare his answers for possible questions. But the most likely question was the one that truly worried him. He still didn't have an answer. The few sprites in the room were not playing games, for once. They shuffled around nervously, throwing him frequent looks, their big blue eyes worried. They had no reason to be worried, this was not their problem, yet they were.

He had to fight a wave of panic when Hail flew back into the room. The sprite gave him a nod. Jack straightened his back and plastered a smile on his face, hoping it looked at least somewhat confident. Bunny bounded into the room shortly after Hail and quickly scanned the it like he expected to find it in shamble. The Pooka turned his attention to Jack and the Guardian of Fun had to keep from shifting under that intense stare.

"What's going on here, Frostbite?"

"What do you mean? I just invited you for breakfast."

"That little sprite you sent to get me was shaking even more than you are. What's wrong? What are you doing here in summer? Did something happen happen in Burgess? Is it Pitch? Are you hurt?"

Jack chuckled, his smile turning a little more real in the face of how much the other Guardian had been worried for him. It gave him a little bit of hope that everything would turned out all right. That the others would forgive him.

"Calm down, Bunny. I'm just here for the week-end, I'm not hurt and Pitch isn't doing anything that I know of."

"The week-end? You work only weekdays now, Snowflake?"

The conversation was interrupted by a great deal of noise, followed by North's bellowing voice calling his name. Wuff entered, throwing nervous looks behind him. He didn't bother telling Jack that he had fetched the Guardian of Wonder. Everyone in the Ice Kingdom could tell. The large man stalked in with his swords drawn and looked around for some kind of danger. Jack sighed.

"Put those away, North. Whatever's happening, it doesn't look urgent," Bunny said.

"I was just hoping we could all have breakfast together, you know?"

North put the swords away, but he didn't look convinced.

"We had Christmas breakfast together three weeks ago and you were all strange and fidgety then, too."

That was true enough. He had meant to talk to the other Guardians that day about what happened on Halloween, about Jamie believing again, but he hadn't found the words. It had been almost two months already and he would have needed to explain why he waited so long before saying anything, He did not even know himself, only that he felt that this shouldn't have happened, that he had messed up and he was ashamed to admit it. But there would be no more hiding it, now.

"Why don't you two sit down until Tooth and Sandy join us?"

North and Bunny exchanged a long look, then turned back to stare at him, as if trying to figure out what he was hiding. The Guardian of Hope looked him up and down, taking notice of his choice of outfit and no doubt remembering the conversation they had a few years ago, in the same room Jamie had spent the night in. Jack pulled the cloak around himself without meaning to.

"Is today special day?"North asked, noticing the change of clothes but not knowing what it could mean.

"Kind of."

North looked at him a few moment longer, but then shrugged, crossed the room in a few long step, grabbed Jack by the shoulders and pulled him up into a crushing hug.

"Is good to see you, Jack."

"It's good to see you as too."

He managed to get the two Guardians to sit before Tooth and Sandy arrived together. They both looked worried, but seeing everyone sitting and making small talk calmed them down. They exchanged puzzled glances with North and Bunny, who both shrugged. Most of the sprites had retreated behind various pieces of furniture to watch from a safe location. Only Wynt was still in plain sight and he looked at Jack when the last two Guardians entered. Jack nodded to him and the sprite bowed to their guests and left the room. Jack took a shaky breath in.

"I'm glad you could all make it. I'm sorry to ask you to come here on such a short notice."

"It was a little... unexpected," Tooth answered.

"So, we're all here, now. Are you going to tell us what's happening?"

"We're not all there yet."

"What?"

"Who—"

Bunny cursed and jumped to his feet.

"It better not be who I think it is, Frostbite."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise at Bunny's reaction and he could only stare at the Pooka. Had he figured out what happened and he was mad at him? The others just looked confused. Sandy made a question mark in sand over his head.

"Bunny? Who do you think it is?" Tooth asked.

Bunny crossed the room in one bound to stand before Jack with his arms crossed, looming over the Spirit of Winter.

"I know you've been speaking with Pitch since last time we fought him," he said in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear. "Look, I said I wouldn't question you, but there's limits to—"

Jack laughed. He was so relieved that he couldn't help it. And he had to admit that the idea that he could have invited the Boogeyman to a friendly breakfast with the Guardians was simply ridiculous. The others stared at them in complete confusion. It made Jack laughed even harder.

"What's so funny?" Jamie's voice came to them just before the man himself entered, cutting off Jack's laughter. He hadn't noticed Wynt coming back and trying to attract his attention. The siblings froze when they entered the room, not having expected to find the Guardians all there. The silence that followed was deafening. Bunny slowly turned around, like he could hardly believed who he would see in the tower's entrance.

"Surprise!" Jack said with fake enthusiasm.

Jamie shuffled in place awkwardly, not comfortable with the sudden attention from the shocked Guardians, but at least they could count on Sophie to break the tension.

"Bunny!" she screamed. She ran across the room to where Bunny still stood in front of Jack and pulled him in a hug. The stunned Pooka hugged her back.

"Well, that is surprise," North said, scratching his head. He gave Jack a look that told him he expected explanations before standing up and wrapping a large arm around Jamie. "How have you been, boy? I heard you have daughter now, yes?"

"Y-yes. Jade. She's six."

"And she never forget to floss!"

Tooth still looked stunned, but Jack could see her eyes were misting over a little as she fluttered around the room, going between Sophie and Jamie then back again, too excited to decide who she wanted to hug first. Sandy looked worried and it made Jack's hearth clench. Everything had been going so well yesterday that he had almost forgotten that Jamie and Sophie believing in the Guardians was not supposed to be a good thing. Of course, he knew Sophie had never stopped believing, but he had convinced himself that her pretending that she had would do the trick. It was a different matter for adults to be interacting with a being that simple logic would tell them shouldn't exist. He couldn't keep them here forever, away from reality and its expectations. Jack lowered his eyes, unable to meet Sandy's.

"Jack, you have moment before breakfast?" North asked, putting his big hand on Jack's shoulder. The Spirit of Winter briefly considered saying no, putting away this conversation a little longer, but it would make breakfast more awkward than it needed to be. He sighed and nodded.

The others had moved in a cluster in the center of the room and were all talking together, trying to catch up, but they all looked when Jack stood and left with North. He gave Jamie and Sophie a shaky smile before walking out. North was silent as Jack led him to one of the new, unused towers. The Guardian of Fun pulled the hood of his cloak up and stared at his feet, not looking up even when they stood alone in an empty room.

"What happened?" North asked softly.

"It was on Halloween," Jack said in a rush. "Jamie saw me—kids who don't believe often see me on Halloween, you know? I wasn't expecting him to, but he did and he could still see me even after—"

"Halloween? That long?" There it was, the question he had been dreading.

"I-I'm sorry. I know I should have told you guys. I didn't know how to say it. It shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry—"

"Jack. Jack, look at me." He hesitantly raised his eyes from the ice floor to meet North's. The other Guardian didn't appear angry at him. He pushed Jack's hood away, placed both hand on his shoulders and stooped to more easily look him in the eyes. "This isn't your fault. You've been worrying about this, about what will happen to them. We could have helped you. We're always there to help you."

Jack felt the sting of tears in his eyes. "What's going to happen, now? Are they going to be all right? What can we do?"

"We do what Guardians do. We protect them. We make them smile. This is not normal situation. Jamie kept believing when no one else did and Sophie... we've been around all her life. Tell me the truth, Jack. She never stopped believing, did she?"

"...No. She kept pretending that she did until Jamie gave her an excuse not to, but she never stopped."

"Maybe... maybe this is what they need."

"Is everything going to be all right?"

"I don't know, Jack. But we will do our best. Now, what about this breakfast? Bunny must be starting to grumble about coming here."

"There's carrot cakes."

"Good! That will keep the Pooka happy. And after breakfast, I am taking all of you on sleigh ride."

"He won't be happy about that."

"Pack some extra cakes, then."

Jack laughed as North steered him back to outside. He could hear cheerful conversation coming from the Tower of Relaxation and he saw through the many arches that the sprites had left their hiding places. Maybe everything would work out. He would do his best to make sure it did.

**This is the last chapter of this arc for now. I might write a bonus one with the sleigh ride later, but for now I want to do other things. **

**About the new arc I talked about before, I still haven't taken a decision. I know most of you say I should write it as a separate story, but I don't know how well it would stand alone, since it was originally meant for here. If I can find a way to do everything I want as a separate story, I will. Otherwise it'll stay here. I'll just have to write longer chapter so it doesn't end up being fifteen chapters long or something. The only reason I said it would be easier to write on it's own is that I wouldn't have to deal with Ashley, but she wouldn't necessarily make the story worst (unless you guys really hate her. Do tell me if you do).**


	101. Suffocating

**Look! I'm posting to days in a row! That's been a while.**

* * *

Terror filled Jack as he struggled to breath. He couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't feel the Wind on his skin. He was trapped somewhere and he didn't know where, or how, or why. This time the Moon didn't shine on him to break him from his prison. It was only him and the darkness wrapping itself around him, suffocating him like the water of the lake he had drowned in. He kicked and called for help, struggled to free himself. It tightened around him, refusing to let him escape.

He felt pain on his left side as if he crashed into something and the world around him changed, somehow. It was still dark and he still couldn't move, but but the Wind no longer seemed so far away. He could reach out for it if only he held his staff. He could feel it nearby, but something trapped his arms. He struggled again and cried out in frustration. He wanted to be out of here. Now. But whatever was holding him merely tightened it's hold on him.

"Jack? What's the matter, mate?"

He could hear Bunny's voice, but even if he tried to turn in his direction, all he could see was a vague golden light somewhere far away. He trashed against his restrains again, trying to reach out to the Pooka.

"Get me out of here!"

"Calm down, Snowflake, you're making it worse."

He felt Bunny's hands through the frozen fabric surrounding him. His blanket, he realized now. He must have rolled off the pile of cushions in the middle of a nightmare, only to find himself still trapped in the dark. He could see the light of the Warrens through the fabric. He still wanted the damned thing off of him and Bunny wasn't going fast enough for his taste.

"Hold still, you're not helping," Bunny scolded him as he kept untangling the blanket.

"Get it off!"

"I would if you stopped freezing it together."

Jack forced himself to stay still while Bunny worked, tearing off layers of fabric and ice. When he uncovered his face, Jack took a long gulp of air like someone who had almost drowned. He could see the painted sky on the ceiling of his room in the Warrens. He could almost imagine he was outside. Even here, underground, the Wind could reach him and it played with his hair soothingly. He felt like such a child, having a fit over a nightmare and a tangled blanket. Bunny would never let him hear the end of it.

The moment he could move enough, he kicked the blanket away, only slightly remorseful that he hit Bunny too in the process. The Pooka grabbed him before he could stand and run away, pulling him against his chest.

"Calm down," Bunny repeated. "What happened, Frostbite? You had a nightmare?"

Jack glared at Bunny until he realized he wasn't mocking him. He didn't know if that was better or simply embarrassing. He looked down.

"Sorry I kicked you."

"Never mind that. You all right?"

"Yeah."

"So? Nightmare?"

He nodded, feeling his cheeks freeze. He still wouldn't look at Bunny, even as the Pooka started to rub his back to comfort him. It wasn't making him feel any less like a child.

"I just... don't always sleep well unless I'm outside. I know it's silly but... it's like the walls are trying to crush me in my sleep."

"Nah, it's not silly. You're not an indoor kind of spirit. Me, I don't like wide open spaces. They make me nervous. Must be the rabbit in me."

Jack smiled a little at that. He knew Bunny would not easily admit being nervous about anything.. Yet he had, to make him feel better about his earlier panic. He did not try to stand up or move away again, letting the Pooka hold him and rub circles on his back for now.

"Do you want to go outside?" Bunny asked.

"No. I think I'm fine right here."

* * *

**Feels good to be writing shorter chapters again. **

**Someone asked a while ago for something about Jack being claustrophobic and I had no idea how to do it. It's not like it's easy to get him stuck in a closet, or something. It's the best I could manage. So, if you're still reading, I hope it was okay.**


	102. New Evidence

**This is based on the Rise of the Guardian comic ****_Hidden Truths and Other Stories._**

* * *

Jack wasn't in a patient mood. Since coming back to Burgess in the fall after they defeated Pitch, he had gotten used to Jamie and his friend coming here at the slightest snowfall. Jamie would come running right away, with his boots unlaced and still zipping his coat. The other took longer, but they almost always came and they could have a giant snowball fight or go sledding. That felt so strange, to have people acknowledge his existence without him having to really do anything other than show up and bring snow with him. It was addictive. Even if it was just a small group of kids, they came here just to see him and no one had ever done that before. It had snowed in Burgess more often this year than any other year.

Jack waited all of five minutes before deciding to investigate what was taking Jamie so long. He knew the kid wasn't at school. Maybe he was over-doing it. Jamie would get bored of playing in the snow. It was a good thing his mother had brought him on that cruise early in the winter. It kept him from being tired of Jack before now.

He could see Jamie's boots still sitting by the door when he peered through the frosted glass, but the kid was nowhere in sight. Jack checked his bedroom's window next. He found Jamie there, sitting on his bed in his winter coat, an expression of excitement lighting his face. He was fumbling with a book in his lap, a roll of tape lying next to his foot. Curious, Jack pushed open the window and crouched on the sill.

"You know you'll freeze when you go out if you wear your coat inside, right?"

Jamie gasped when he heard Jack's voice. His head shot up, eyes wide, and he shoved the book under the covers, kicking the tape off the bed. It wasn't the most inconspicuous way to hide what he had been doing. It only succeeded in making Jack even more intrigued.

"Oh, Jack! I was about to go out. Like, right now."

"What's that book?"

"What book?"

Jamie gave the most unconvincing look of wide-eyed innocence Jack had ever witnessed. He could see him push the book deeper under the covers.

"You're an awful liar. Come on, if you don't show me, I'm going to assume it's something dirty."

Jamie's innocent look turned horrified.

"I-it's nothing like that! I'm nine!" he sputtered.

"So why won't you show me?"

"A-all right. But you have to promise me you're not going to make fun of me."

"What? But making fun is my whole reason for existing!"

"You know what I mean! I'll show it to you, but not if you're going to mock me."

Jack jumped from his spot on the windowsill to land on the bed. It didn't even dip under his weight. He knelt in front of Jamie and gave him the wide smile of an expectant child.

"All right. I won't."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Jamie fished the book back from underneath the covers. Jack moved around to sit next to him so he could see it better. He recognized the big red book.

"Oh, it's your evidence book."

Jamie gaped at him.

"You know about that?"

"Sure. You think I wasn't hanging around before you could see me? You showed it to your friend Monty, once. I was outside the window."

Jamie's eyes widened. He flipped the pages quickly to a photo of a frosted window.

"So that's where it came from. The frost just appeared there! It was you!"

"Of course it was me, who else would it be?"

Jamie averted his eyes. "I... didn't even know about you back then. I believed in everything, but I didn't even know about you."

Jack ruffled his hair. "But you know, now. And you believe. So, what else do you have in there?"

Jaime returned to the first page, where a quarter had been taped. The piece of evidence had two captions, the first one, "toot fayri", was scrawled in crayon. The other one had been added later: "Quarter from the Tooth Fairy. When: date unknown. Where: under my pillow."

"That's my first quarter from the Tooth Fairy. I never spent it, not that one. It was a proof that she was real and that was worth more than a quarter."

"So you've been looking for clues for a long time, eh?"

"I knew they were real, but no one would believe me. They all thought I was just being silly, believing in fairy tales. I wanted to prove them wrong. But I never really got anything more than hints. And fake stuff." Jamie sighed and turned the pages to a photo to what looked like squirrels tracks in the mud. "I thought those were from the Easter Bunny. But they're not. He's a lot bigger. And I don't suppose that's real yeti hair, right?"

"Looks like cat hair to me. But so what? You were looking and that more than most kids. You can't investigate something without a few false leads. And you did find us. And if you want, I'll get you some real yeti hair."

"Really?"

"Really. So, what were you so exited about earlier? Did you just find some of Santa's beard stuck in one of your Christmas gift?"

"That would be so cool!" Jamie beamed for a moment before blushing. "Uh, no. That's not what I found."

Jamie turned the pages again and showed the newest one to Jack without looking at him. The Guardian had to bite his finger to keep from laughing when he saw the blue thread taped to the page. "Thread from Jack Frost's shirt," he read aloud, "When: March 21st. Where: On the sleeve of my coat. Looks legit. You got me convinced; I must exist."

"You said you wouldn't mock me."

"I'm not mocking you. But it might not be enough to convince someone else. I'm kind of predisposed to believe I exist, you know?" Not that he had never doubted it. "But I think I got something for you."

Jack jumped down from the bed and rummaged around Jamie's desk. The kid followed him, holding his book to his chest, his eyes eager.

"Like what? I can't keep one of your snowflake in my book."

Jack found the scissors on a pile of white squares of papers. Without explanations or the slightest hesitation, he sliced through a lock of white hair and held it out to Jamie. The kid gaped at him like he was crazy.

"W-why did you do that? Now your hair looks all funny."

"Don't worry, it'll grow back before the end of the day. It always does. Must be a spirit thing."

"Really? Cool! I'll put it in the evidence book. They'll have to believe me, now!" Jamie ran to where he had kicked the tape earlier and fixed the lock of hair to a new page before grabbing a pen and scribbling frantically.

"So, if you're done gathering evidence of my existence, are you coming outside, now?"

* * *

**I might post a bit more frequently for a short time, since I have a bunch of easily written short story planned. I won't start posting the next arc until it's fully outlined, so it shouldn't slow down too much, unlike the previous arc. So I might be back to regular updates, but motivation is still an issue.**

**I changed the cover again, because I get bored with my covers quickly.**


	103. Still a Child

**This is a sequel to ****_The Sandman _****and ****_Monsters Under the Bed._**

* * *

Sandy felt the disruption through the Dreamsand. Some dreams hadn't found their targets. Fear was keeping them out of their bed. The Sandman frowned. He recognized this area. He knew Pitch was lurking around here. He skulked in the woods, scaring any who ventured there. This wasn't the first time he had to personally make sure the children of this village fell asleep. But Pitch usually left those who believed in the Guardians alone, lest Sandy decided he was the one who needed a good scare. Sadly, there was little he could do for the others. He was not aware of them like he was of the ones he was sworn to protect.

Not all fear was due to the Boogeyman, of course, but when three kids in a happy, loving family were all terrified at the same time, he was the prime suspect. But Sandy may have been too quick to come to that conclusion this time. Another spirit sat on the roof of the children's home. The young winter spirit averted his eyes when he saw Sandy arrive on his cloud of sand, guilt obvious on his face. He hugged his knees to his chest, holding his leather cape wrapped around himself. Sandy felt his heart clench. He wished it had been Pitch instead.

It wasn't uncommon for winter sprites to grow bitter. Some, the colder, more solitary ones, didn't care about the humans who shared their world without seeing them, or about anyone else, really. They spread their ice and snow indiscriminately, harsh and uncaring. Those were not the dangerous ones. It was the more social ones, the ones who cared, then got hurt, who risked lashing out against humans out of resentment. The winter child on the roof had certainly been the more caring kind.

Sandy remembered his beaming smile the last time they met, when the young spirit, had realized he could see him. It was hard to imagine that same smiling child scaring anyone, but if he still lived here, surrounded by people who could not see him, it was bound to hurt. Few spirits willingly chose to remain in close proximity to humans. His smile, last time, had a hint of desperation. It was painful to see how happy he had been that someone could see him.

Sandy sighed and shook his head. He had some other children to take care of first. He gestured at the boy to stay here, waving a finger in warning to make sure he didn't decide to run off. The boy, Jack Frost, he remembered his name was, nodded, still not looking at him. He looked so ashamed of whatever he did that Sandy thought maybe he wasn't a lost cause yet. Or maybe it just made it all the more unlikely that he would last very long without his heart freezing. He cared too much.

The three children huddled under a table, each facing a different direction, keeping watch for the return of some scary monster. The youngest gasped when she saw him, elbowing her brothers in the ribs. Sandy didn't wait for them to turn. He called back the dreams he had prepared for them, directing the golden streams at the children. They blinked and slumped together, their eyes closing, their fear fading. Sandy picked them up one by one and placed them back in their beds. His task here done, he returned to the other child waiting for him.

He floated his cloud up to the edge of the roof, standing right in front of the sitting spirit. Jack Frost brought his legs closer to his chest. Sandy crossed his arms and scowled, waiting for an explanation.

"I-I didn't mean to scare them," the kid started, burying his head in his knees. "I just... I just wanted them to know I existed. I tried picking up some wooden toys, but they started to scream. They thought I was a ghost. I never meant for them to be afraid. I don't want to scare children. I won't do it again, I swear."

Sandy's scowl disappeared long before the boy was done talking. He patted the spirit's white hair and he raised his head, his eyes as full of fear as those of the children inside the house had been. Not fear of what Sandy would do to him, but of what he himself had done. The Sandman gave him a comforting smile. Tentatively, Jack Frost smiled back.

He had met him before, Sandy realized suddenly. Before that time a few years ago when the young spirit had chased his cloud. No, that hadn't been their first meeting. He should have realized it then, when he saw that brilliant smile and those inquisitive eyes. But he remembered, now. He had seen him in a situation much like this one, when he came to this village because a child was missing from his bed and he had found him in the nearby wood, scared and holding his knees against his chest like he was now.

How had that child become a winter spirit? It was rare for humans to become spirit. And a seasonal spirit, at that? That was unusual. As far as he knew, the boy he had met that time had died. That gave him a chill. And here he sat in front of him now, an embodiment of winter, yet still very much a frightened child.

Sandy might not know how to deal with lonely spirits, but frightened children were something he was familiar with. He blew a pinch of Dreamsand into the spirits blue eyes and watched the fear fade away. Jack Frost blinked, tried to stay awake. Sandy stroked his hair reassuringly, pulling him on his cloud when he tumbled off the edge of the roof.

He flew to the small lake where he knew the winter spirit stayed. He landed by the frozen water and picked up the sleeping child from the cloud, placing him gently in the snow. He didn't know what would happen to him next, how he would cope with his new life as a spirit, or why this had happened in the first place, but tonight, he could have sweet dreams like any other child in Sandy's care.

* * *

**Sorry for making sequels to really old chapters. There are some things that I always meant to revisit, but never got around to (and then forgot about).**


	104. Words Long Left Unsaid

**Sequel to ****_Afternoon with Friends _****and ****_Always Believe._**

* * *

"Daddy, you're going to make yeti stew again, aren't you?"

"You liked it?"

"Yes! It was delishuss."

"Delicious."

"Yes, it was that."

Jade ran to her room to play while Jamie gathered the dishes, bringing them to the sink Ashley was filling with warm water.

"Jade was right, it was delicious. So, you said it's your friend Jack who taught you to do that?"

"Yeah, we ate that while we were visiting."

"And are you ever going to introduce him to us?"

Jamie sighed. How easy everything would be if he could just do that? If only Ashley could see Jack...

"I would love to. But I don't think it's going to be possible."

"He's a pretty mysterious man, this Jack Overland."

_You have no idea._ Jack had been his best friend for years and he barely knew anything about him. Most of what he knew about the Guardian, he had either seen for himself or learned about in that one conversation they had the second time he saw him. Jamie felt like Jack wouldn't even have told him that much if talking to kids hadn't been so new to the Guardian and Jamie just happened to pry enough at the right moment. Jack had never mentioned any of it again after that one time.

It wasn't until recently that Jack had started to open up a little to Jamie. Both when he spoke to the Guardian in the attic and more recently, while they were visiting the Ice Kingdom. He could hardly believe that Jack had never mentioned he used to be human. That seemed like one of the most basic things he should have known, yet he hadn't.

"Just go."

"W-what?"

"Whenever you get that look on your face, you go out to take a walk. To visit that lake. Just go already."

"But the dishes-"

Ashley raised an eyebrow and pointed to the wet dishes she had been piling in front of him. He hadn't even noticed them. He flustered and grabbed his towel and a plate, rubbing furiously to make up for the time he lost spacing out. She pulled the towel from his hands and swatted him with it.

"Do I need to chase you out?"

"I'm going, I'm going!"

She still swatted him one last time for good measure when he turned his back to her.

* * *

Jamie hadn't seen the Guardian since coming back from the Ice Kingdom a few days ago. He had been in a great mood upon his return, but he had also been left with many questions and he didn't know how to ask Jack for answers. Not all of them were about Jack himself, either. As much as he had been surprised to see all of the Guardians on the second day of their visit, he felt like they had been even more surprised to see him and Sophie. Was he missing something? Had Jack broken some sort of rule by bringing them there?

He didn't see Jack when he reached the lake, but he knew he was there somewhere. The place felt different when the Spirit of Winter was there. It had a touch of magic that was otherwise missing. Jamie thought about calling him, but he still didn't know what to say. Sighing, he sat on the big square rock by the lake. He soon heard a rustle in the trees and saw from the corner of his eyes Jack float down to sit by him.

"Hey."

"Hey. I made the yeti stew. Everyone loved it."

"That's great. Phil's going to be happy."

He turned his head to look at Jack and was surprised to see him still wearing the outfit he had when they visited his Ice Kingdom, except without the ice crown. He raised an eyebrow at that.

"You're taking this Winter Prince thing seriously."

Jack's cheeks frosted over and he wrapped his cloak around him. He might look like a prince, but he still acted like a self-conscious teenager. Jamie didn't think he had ever noticed how insecure the Guardian was when he was younger. Maybe he didn't want to notice. He had held Jack up on a pedestal and refused to see the cracks. He had seen him hurt, but something big had always been happening, then. He assumed that otherwise, he was bright and cheerful and so strong. It was no wonder the Guardian hadn't wanted to share his history with him.

"My clothes were getting a bit old. I had been wearing those pants for over three centuries."

"My mom always says that, back in the days, things were made to last."

Jack laughed. "Yeah, well, we couldn't afford to buy new phones every year. Not that we had phones in colonial times, of course."

"It's so strange, imagining that you actually lived back then. Who were you? How did you become Jack Frost? Did you have white hair then too?"

"Of course I didn't. I had brown hair. Brown eyes, too, and I wasn't as pale, either. I looked like a perfectly normal human boy, which is what I was."

"Perfectly normal? I have a hard time believing that."

"I was a shepherd's son. See my staff? It's a shepherd's crook."

"Like those farm boys in the stories who go on some adventures and end up slaying the dragon and rescuing the princess?"

Jack laughed again, but he stopped quickly. "This wasn't like in the stories. I never left my village and all I did was fix the stupid mistake I made. There was no dragon, Jamie. The damsel-in-distress wouldn't have been in any danger if not for my stupid decision to go ice skating before the ice was thick enough."

Jack gazed across the surface of his lake. Whenever Jack was in Burgess, the ice was always thick enough to skate on. Jamie realized that this very place was where Jack must have become a Guardian. It made sense, but Jamie had to wonder how it could have happened.

"Who was she?"

"My little sister. She was just a child and she was terrified when the ice started to crack under her feet. I needed her to get closer to me, so I could get her to safety, but she was too scared to move. So I made a game out of it. I told her we would have a little fun."

"Like you told me when we faced Pitch! You said it was your center."

"That's right. That's why I was chosen to become the Guardian of Fun."

"Because you saved a kid using fun? But how did you become a spirit? Did you just wake up one day and you weren't human anymore? What about your family? Did they look for you? They must have believed in you, but you said I was the first, how-"

"Slow down! One question at a time. They believe in Jackson Overland, not Jack Frost. And anyway, they had no reason to think I was around. I didn't just wake up one day as the Spirit of Winter, Jamie."

"Then how-" Jack was still staring across the lake and Jamie suddenly understood. "You died here."

"I did."

Jamie swallowed, licked his lips and stared at the Guardian. Jack was avoiding his eyes. Jamie shifted on the rock enough to put his hands on Jack's shoulder and make him turn around. The Guardian sighed.

"You died," Jamie repeated. "Here. And you still live here. You froze to death. And now you're the Spirit of Winter."

"I drowned before I could freeze to death, actually."

Jack's casual tone didn't help any. Shaking, Jamie pulled the Guardian against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't know who he was trying to comfort, himself or Jack. The way the Guardian patted his back made it obvious who he thought needed comforting.

"Look, Jamie, it's no big deal."

"No big deal!"

"I didn't even remember it until recently. I lost all of my memories of who I used to be when I died. If it wasn't for the teeth, I still wouldn't know."

"The teeth? Oh. Right. You told me about that. They hold precious memories, right?"

"Right. And that's one of my precious memories."

Jamie held the Guardian a little tighter, still shaken. He understood, now, why Jack hadn't told him this when he was younger. He didn't think he could have handled it. Not because it would have broken his image of Jack as his strong, powerful hero, because, if anything, that image had been reinforced in Jamie's mind now, but because he would have freaked out even more.

"I'm sorry..."

"Jamie? You're not making any sense. What are you sorry for? You weren't even born!"

"I'm sorry. You were my best friend and you were always there for me when I need to talk to someone about whatever silly troubles I had, but I could never be there for you the same way. I know you've been alone for three centuries, I knew that even then, and it must have been so hard. But I couldn't handle you talking to me about things like this. So you didn't. I feel like I've just been taking and never giving anything back and—ow!"

Jamie let go of Jack and rubbed his head where the Guardian had whacked him with his staff. Jack glared at him.

"I told you before, you gave me the one thing I always wanted. Don't you dare dismiss it as nothing."

"I..."

"Look, I didn't tell you that I died before because it doesn't matter. It doesn't bother me and I didn't want it to bother you. And I didn't talk about anything else, because... I didn't want you to think I was weak. And it felt selfish to trouble you with that, when I already owed you so much. You could have handled it. You're stronger than you think."

Jamie gaped at him. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and hugged his friend again instead.

"I'll never think you're weak, Jack Frost. And you owe me nothing. We're friends."

This time, he felt the bony shoulders tremble beneath the thick fabric of the cloak and he knew he wasn't the only one who needed comfort.

* * *

**This chapter just didn't want to be written and I should be sleeping right now. Sorry if it's bad.**


	105. Sleep Well

**This is a sequel to ****_Beyond the Ice._**

* * *

Jack kept his hands pressed against the glass long after Jamie had left. It might only have been wishful thinking, but he could swear that, for an instant, his old friend had looked at him rather than through him. It left him lost and torn. He had to stop himself from calling his name, to see if he would hear.

The baby still slept peacefully in the crib, calmed by the tales of magical guardians, or at least by her father's soothing voice. She had not been the only one listening to Jamie's stories. From beyond the frosted glass, Jack Frost had heard every word. It hurt to hear him speak of them when he knew he thought they were just legends, but at the same time, it made Jack smile. These legends mattered enough to Jamie for him to share them with his newborn daughter.

He told her that magical beings would watch over her and protect her while she slept and Jack was determined to do exactly that. He settled comfortably outside the window to keep an eye on the baby as she slept. Sadly, the Sandman's dreams could not get a good hold of one so young. She was under their protection, but she did not believe in them. She was too young for such things. But she was not completely closed off to what she did not believe in the way she would be when she started to rationalize the world around her.

She slept a few more hours, until early morning when the first rays of the sun disturbed her. Jack bit his lip, throwing a glance at her parents' still dark window. They could use some more sleep. But soon, Jade would be crying for someone to come. Jack pushed the window open and slipped in. For once, he closed it behind him. He didn't want her to be cold; she was still so young. He perched on a dresser where he had a good view of her.

"Hey, little Jade. Don't cry, all right? Mommy and daddy need sleep."

He doubted the baby saw him and he knew he couldn't touch her, but she was aware of his voice. That was one thing he had realized long ago: babies could react to spirits' tone of voice. They could try to calm them or scare them if they tried. Maybe he could keep her from crying. She stopped moving to listen.

"Why don't you go back to sleep? Just a few more hours."

Her stillness didn't last long and she soon got agitated again, making small distressed sound at the still empty room. She wanted someone here and a vague impression of a calming voice wasn't enough. Jack sighed. It was time to try something else.

"Rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top," he sang. "When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby, cradle and all."

Jade quietened, shifted a few more times before lying still again. Jack kept singing until he was sure she was asleep. Sandy would have been proud. Smiling, he jumped down to the floor and peered in the next room, where the rest of the little family slept. The two adults laid on the bed in whatever position they had fallen in after the last time they had to get up, the cover half fallen to the floor. Jack took the time to tuck them in before he left.

"Sleep well. You deserve it."

* * *

**I'm starting to run out of titles. Seriously. **


	106. Children of Winter

**I'm way too tired to edit properly, so sorry if this is full of typos, repeated words and poorly constructed sentences (I don't think it's that bad, but I apologize if it is).**

* * *

The first time Jack Frost saw a winter sprite, he had no idea what the being was at first. He had been flying over the countryside far to the north, bored and lonely, looking for something to do, when he spotted a scrawny child below, wearing a worn-out tunic, walking barefooted in the snow. The child had hair as white as his and did not shiver in the cold winter air. When he stopped to observe, Jack saw him touch a tree branch, encasing it in a sheath of ice. Jack landed in the snow next to him, wide-eyed and excited to meet this spirit who looked so much like a younger version of himself. With bluer skin. And pointed ears. It had to be a spirit. There was no way this being was a human child.

"Hi! Hello? Huh, I'm Jack Frost. Do you hear me? Hey!"

His excitement turned to dismay as the childlike being failed to acknowledge his presence. This couldn't be happening. That he was invisible to humans, he had come to accept, but surely he couldn't be invisibles even to other spirits? He had spoken with one before. That giant rabbit, the Easter Bunny. He had even talked to him. He told him he must be some kind of winter sprite. Was that a winter sprite? Then why could he hear him? Was the bunny special? And he couldn't even talk to someone so much like himself?

"You... please answer me. You have to hear me! You can't... I can't..."

In desperation, Jack tried to grab the sprite's shoulder, fully expecting his hand to go right through it. It didn't. Jack gasped. This was the first time he ever touched anyone. The sprite slowly turned around, looking straight at him, his frosty blue eyes cold and hard. He spoke to Jack in a language that sounded more like breaking ice; harsh, frozen and cruel. Jack couldn't make out any specific words, but he still understood. _Leave me alone._

He stood there, staring in shock, as the sprite turned his back on him and left.

* * *

The second time Jack Frost saw a winter sprite, he was much more hesitant. Summer was nearing it's end and he contemplated trying to break in a second time into Santa's workshop before heading back south, when he saw the sprite on an ice floe. The small figure waved its arms and spikes slowly bloomed from the ice around it. Jack landed several feet away. This sprite looked even more ragged than the last one he met, with matted hair and wearing little more than strips of white cloth hanging loosely on his bony frame.

"Hello. I'm Jack Fro—ah!"

With a scream of pure insanity, the sprite broke off a spike of ice and charged him. Jack gaped, too dumbfounded to move out of the way. The sprite swung his spike like a club, smashing its thick base against Jack's arm. The taller spirit was caught between bewilderment and happiness that he was interacting with someone.

"Ow! Why did you do that? Ow!" The sprite didn't stop after the first blow, continuing to swing wildly at him, shrieking. Jack did his best to block the ice club with his staff, but he couldn't keep up with the sprite's erratic movements. He took a step back. "S-stop! Please. I don't want to hurt you, you don't have to do that. Ah! That's gonna leave a bruise. All right, all right! I'm leaving. Stop it!"

Jack flew off. The sprite kept screaming at him until he was out of sight. Jack was sore everywhere, but at the same time he was thrilled. He had met someone! Someone who very loudly acknowledged his presence. Breaking into the workshop could wait, he had a sprite to befriend.

He returned to the ice floe the next day, hoping he could hide somewhere until he found the best moment to approach the sprite. But there was nowhere to hide, only featureless ice on every sides. There could be no sneaking up on the sprite. He was noticed as soon as he got close and the screaming started again. Jack sighed. He remained airborne, thinking through his options. He did not have much time to think.

The sprite flew at him, a new ice club in hands. Jack should have figured out that they could do that. He could, so there was no reason they shouldn't be able to. He flew out of the other spirit's path, but the sprite pursued. The small being was a more experienced flyer and Jack soon had to turn around to block the flurry of blow coming his way. He tried to retreat, but the sprite wouldn't let him.

"Why are you doing that? I didn't do anything to you. Alright, I get it; you don't like company. I just want to—ow! Enough!"

The glowing blue frost spread through the air itself and struck the winter sprite in the chest before Jack realized what he had done. The insane spirit shrieked even louder as he fell to the ground with a crack. Jack stared in horror, shaking. He had never before used is powers as a weapon. He couldn't move, couldn't breath, until the sprite twitched. He had feared he had killed the diminutive spirit. He floated back down to the ice and took a tentative step toward the sprite as he was trying to lift himself on his elbows.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I didn't want to hurt you. Please, let me help—"

The sprite screeched and wriggled away from him. Jack froze, not daring to come closer. The little spirit looked at him in pure terror. He scrambled to his feet, backed a few steps away, and turned around and ran. He flew in short bursts, but could not keep himself in the air.

"Wait! Come back. I'm sorry! So sorry... I won't do it again, please don't go! You can keep hitting me, I won't stop you. Come back!"

The sprite didn't even turn.

* * *

The third time Jack Frost saw a winter sprite, he was in high spirits. Phil had just thrown him out of the workshop and he couldn't keep the grin off his face. It was the fifth time he tried to bust in and, while he didn't have any better luck than the first four times, he had fun and that was what mattered. Even if his ribs still hurt when he laughed after Phil tackled him in the hallway. He laughed anyway. Today was a good day and Russia was about to get some snow.

He didn't make it far south before a strange swirl of snowflakes caught his attention. Jack was familiar with snow; he was something of an expert on the subject. Snow wasn't supposed to move like that on its own. He veered off his path to investigate.

The sprite was young. New. He kneeled in the snow in a pristine white tunic, hands outstretched, staring at the snowflakes swirling around him with his mouth open and eyes wide, fascinated. Jack didn't know how spirits were born. didn't even understand his own birth, but for this child, it was a very recent thing. Jack landed a safe distance away, not wanting to spook him. The child noticed the movement and turned his head to look at Jack, the child-like fascination not leaving his face. Jack smiled. The sprite reminded him so much of himself in the first instants of his life.

He took a few slow, careful steps. The sprite didn't shied away. A wide smile appeared in his thin blue lips, mirrored on Jack's own. When he was close enough, the sprite raised a small hand toward him. Jack kneeled in front of him, raised his own hand until their finger brushed. His smile shook a little as they pressed their palms together. Today couldn't get any better.

"Hi. I'm Jack Frost."

The child's smile widened and he laughed. Jack laughed with him, partly in relief, partly in sheer joy. He took the young sprite by the hand and brought him flying with him. The child didn't question it and went along. Jack kept him from crashing in trees and suddenly dropping out of the air. They flew over northern lands, called some snow, froze some trees. More than anything, they laughed. Jack was happier than he ever remembered being in his short life and this young spirit had never known anything but wonder. He would take care of him, Jack decided. He would make this little sprite happy. Life wouldn't be so lonely, from now on.

As they went farther south, they eventually reached a small village hidden away in a thick boreal forest. Jack hesitated to go near it, but the sprite was curious about the small figures they could see moving around from up here. He let go of Jack's hand, tumbled through the air and crash-landed on the village's square.

"Wait, don't—"

His warning came too late. Even as the sprite stood back on still unsteady feet, a man walked briskly in his direction, a bundle of firewood in his arms. Jack felt his heart clench when he saw the smile leave the child's face, replaced by panic, confusion and shock when the man walked through him like he didn't even exist. The sprite ran to another figure, tried to grab a woman's arm as she walked by, only for his hand to go right through. He looked at his fingers like they had betrayed him.

"Hey, it's alright. Just come back here, it's going to be fine—wait!"

With tears filling his eyes, the young sprite took to the air again, but not to join Jack. He flew in the forest, disappearing under the trees. Jack sped after him, but the sprite must not have been going in a straight line and he couldn't find him again.

"Come back! It'll be alright, I'm here, I'll help you! Please come back..."

Jack stayed in the area several days hoping the young sprite would show up again, without luck. After calling the worst blizzard the village had seen in it's existence, he left, defeated.

* * *

**So, anyone paying attention? You should be able to know one of the sprites here.**

**In other news, I meant to do a directory on my profile with the chapters in chronological order for a while now. I could even include links to the actual chapters, so you could click the title and get to the chapter. And it would have the advantage of being searchable, unlike the increasingly long drop-down list (just do ctrl+F in Windows, command+F for Mac, while on my profile, enter title and taa-daa!). Since I keep referring you guys to previous chapters and never give a chapter number. Would anyone actually use this if I make it? I don't want to waste my time. **


	107. Ice Cream

**I wrote this chapter yesterday, but ffnet isn't letting me post it. I hope I stop having issues soon, it's ruining my "one chapter a day" thing.**

Bunny did not need to turn around to know that Jack Frost had decided to pay him a visit and was now standing behind him. The cold burst of wind would be telling enough even without the snowflakes falling on his flowers. But the kid could wait; he was busy.

"Bunny! You'll never guess what I have!"

The boy sounded so ridiculously happy that Bunny couldn't resist turning. Jack held a cardboard container to his chest and a wide, childish smile decorated his face. His eyes sparkled like those of young children discovering a stash of eggs on Easter.

"Ice cream?"

"Yes!"

"Do I get a prize?"

"It's not just ice cream. Look!"

Jack proudly held out the ice cream container. The first thing Bunny noticed was that it was chocolate flavored. The second was the brand's name. _Jack Frost. _The third was the mascot. He snorted. The cheery sprite in the pointy hat looked more like a blue Christmas elf than the Spirit of Winter.

"Maybe that should be your next Halloween costume; you already have the shoes."

"Oh, like you're in any position to make fun, mister egg-laying fluffy bunny."

Bunny scowled. He didn't like being reminded of the absurdly cuddly form he was usually pictured as. And he certainly didn't like thinking about how that he could find himself in that form if he got weak enough. But, egg-laying, really? What where humans thinking?

"And you came all the way here to show this to me?"

"We can try it together!"

"I don't like ice cream. It's cold."

Jack cocked his head to the side and batted his eyelashes at him, his smile still as wide.

"Come on, Cottontail. It's chocolate flavored."

Bunny rolled his eyes.

"I'll go get bowls."

* * *

**Super short chapter, because I kept getting distracted and didn't have time to write anything longer. Anyway, I figured I should do a silly chapter with Bunny and Jack before tomorrow's more serious chapter with Bunny and Jack (if tomorrow's chapter turns out to be equally silly and/or isn't with Bunny, it's because I'm bad at following my writing schedule).**

**I meant to tell you guys who the sprite from last chapter was, but I'm feeling mean and I'm not gonna. No one figured it out yet (no, it's not Hush). If you want a hint, you can know from a line of dialogue in ****_Afternoon With Friends. _****You'll see that sprite again, as I have a few sequel stories planned.**

**I'll try to start writing the chronological order during the week-end, but I don't know how long it'll take (since I'll need to re-read several chapter to figure it out). I'll mention it when it's done.**


	108. This Is Going To Hurt

**Second chapter for today! I'm feeling productive, even if the other one was a super short chapter that should have been up yesterday.**

**This takes place sometime after ****_I Just Wanted to Help_**** (that's the Ikea bed chapter).**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to build a snowman? It's your last chance this year."

"Last chance? You mean you're finally going away?"

"Aw, Pitch, don't be like that. It hurts my feelings."

"That's the point, Frost."

Jack laughed. Pitch was barely trying to be mean and that felt like a victory. He still made a show of merely tolerating his presence, but Jack didn't feel unwelcome. Pitch Black appreciated the company, even if he would die rather than admit it.

"All right, all right, I'm leaving!" He might as well. They were well into spring already and Bunny wasn't above coming here to make sure he didn't hang around too long. Maybe he should drop by the Pole and visit North before heading south for the northern summer.

Just when he landed on the edge of his lake to plan where he would go next, the ground opened under his feet. Jack gasped as he fell a short distance before the Wind picked him up to pull him out of potential danger. Or tried to. A furry hand wrapped around his ankle and he was dragged in the tunnel, kicking and screaming.

He blinked in the sudden light, too disoriented to make a graceful landing when the hand released him. He crashed in a flower bed, shook his head and glared at the Pooka who just dragged him on the other side of the world. Bunny glared back.

"Did you have to do that? I was about to leave! It's not like it was summer, or anything."

"Who were you talking to?"

Jack breathed in sharply. This could get messy. He stood, brushed his pants with deliberate casualness.

"What are you, my over-protective dad? You're worried that I'm talking to strangers in the woods?"

Bunny grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him until they were nose to nose and the Pooka's angry green eyes filled Jack's vision.

"When that stranger is Pitch, of course I am! When did you plan on telling us that you were _befriending the enemy?_"

Jack sighed. This was not a conversation he had been looking forward to. He knew the others wouldn't approve. He had not mentioned it before. But it still didn't give Bunny the right to drag him here and yell at him. Jack raised his chin and would have stood straighter if the Pooka's grip wasn't already forcing him to stand on the tip of his toes.

"So you could freak out like this? Look, Bunny, we're not friends. But that doesn't mean I can't be civil when I see him."

"You shouldn't be seeing him at all! Jack, did you forget what he did to you? Breaking your staff? Twice. Infecting it with fear? Forgot about _that_?"

"No. And you should be happy I don't hold grudges."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jack didn't answer. He didn't want to go into this yet, not if he could convince Bunny without having to hurt him. He didn't know if that would be possible.

"Bunny, I'm not a child. Alright, maybe I am, but I can take my own decisions. I've survived three centuries on my own; I don't need you to hold my hand and approve of who I talk to."

Bunny loosened his hold, letting him stand normally again, but he didn't let go of his shirt. His eyes turned a bit more desperate than angry.

"Jack, this is serious. You're going to end up getting hurt, mate."

"Getting hurt?" Jack raised his voice, angry, now. "If that's all I cared about, I would have gone with Pitch instead of giving you guys a chance. He had never hurt me before I decided to help defeat him. Unlike you."

Bunny looked like the Spirit of Winter had just punched him in the gut and he couldn't catch his breath. He let go of his shirt, took several step back and sat down on his haunches, ears flat against his head, eyes averted. The Guardian of Fun sighed, his anger fading.

"Jack..."

"I'm not a fool, you know?" he said softly. "I'm not expecting him to change. But no one deserves to be alone and ignored forever. I can't let that happen. I'm just asking you to respect that."

"Jack..." Bunny tried to speak, his voice so full of guilt that it made Jack regret his earlier words. The Pooka swallowed and tried again."Jack, it's Pitch you're talking about. He not like you. He just a selfish, manipulative monster."

"And you kept telling me I was just a selfish, irresponsible nuisance."

Bunny flinched. Jack didn't take any pleasure in hurting his friend, but he needed to make his point clear.

"I... you're not... I was wrong, alright? And I'm sorry. But this isn't the same. Pitch is dangerous. He's hurt you before, because he wanted revenge."

"I know. And I'm not gonna be happy if he does it again after I tried to be nice to him. But I'll take that risk. I can forgive a lot, but that doesn't mean I forget. Like I haven't forgotten what life was like before you decided you needed my help. He was one of the few who ever talked to me back then."

Bunny lowered his head, curling up on himself, a meager protection against Jack's words.

"I'm sorry, Jack..." he whispered. "We're all sorry. About everything."

"I know. And I won't mention it again. And I promise that if things go wrong, I won't come crying to you."

Bunny kept looking down for a long time. Jack waited, letting him take all of that in. Finally, Bunny raised his head, his eyes a little misty.

"Alright, Snowflake. I don't like it, I even hate it, but it's your choice. I won't question it. But I have one condition."

"What condition?"

"That _when_ things go wrong, you do come crying to me. I'm not letting you do this until I can be there to pick up the pieces."

Jack felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"Deal."

* * *

**Another dialogue-heavy chapter. I feel like I've written a lot of those, lately. I'll try to write something with more action tomorrow? Well, maybe not "action", since, if I look at my index cards, next chapter should be "princess tea party". Maybe I'll write the sequel to ****_Children of Winter_**** instead. Or something with Tooth, since I do have one planned and she hasn't shown up in a while.**


	109. Same Place, Different Life

"Jack! This place is so beautiful."

Tooth and her small following of mini fairies fluttered between the ice spires, brushing their fingers against delicate translucent wall and thin blue drapes, flying through arches to come out on the other side and generally exploring the place. Jack's new headquarter was still mostly empty, but Tooth had wanted to see.

Only one of his feathery visitors didn't look too enthused. Baby Tooth had taken a good look of the place and remained apart from the other, wringing her hands. Jack knew what bothered her, but he'd rather not discuss it. Not now. The others' excitement had him grinning and he wasn't in the mood for serious talk.

"It's still a work in progress."

Keeping up with Tooth was a challenge, but she thankfully stopped to speak to him.

"You're doing well so far, Jack. It's a place worthy of the Spirit of Winter." She smiled at him, that soft smile of a mother proud of her child. Jack would be bothered by it if he didn't knew she acted like that towards the others as well. "But it must get lonely here all by yourself. It's so far from anything else."

"It's not like I'll be staying here all the time. I'm still travelling the world. I'll still spend winters at my lake. And I'm not actually alone here."

Tooth looked around at the white emptiness surrounding them.

"Uh, you're not?"

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my little helpers. They're in the living room."

Or at least, they should be in the living room. He asked Wynt to try to gather them there, but he had no idea if the three other sprites went along with it. He had told all of them that the Tooth Fairy would be visiting and they had been eager enough, but formal introductions wasn't something they ever had to deal with.

As it turned out, Wynt had succeed. Wuff and Breeze sat on the floor, playing a game of Scrabble and arguing over whether or not "Fhargt" was a word. Jack didn't want to get mixed into that one. The thing with the sprites' language was that it was so far away from any human ones that he didn't see how any particular combination of letters were supposed to be more right than another.

The two sprites still wore the white tunics they had been born in, and maybe would choose to stick to them, but they were warming up to life here at the ice village. The other two sprites, though, had accepted to let Jack make something for them. They both sat on the couch, watching the argument without taking any part in it. Wynt held Hush's hand and Jack didn't know if it was to comfort the timid sprite or to keep him from bolting. Maybe a little of both.

"Winter sprites? Oh, they're adorable."

Wuff jumped to his feet, tugging on his tunic and fussing with his hair to make himself look more presentable for the Tooth Fairy. Jack had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Breeze stood in less of a hurry, wide-eyed. Hush did his best to hide behind Wynt's even though it was resting against the back of the couch, but the other sprite was having none of that. He stood, pulling Hush with him. Jack gave the little sprite a reassuring smile.

"Girls, meet my crew. That's Wuff and this is Breeze. That one there is Wynt and the one trying to hide behind him is Hush."

"They have names?"

"They chose names."

"That's wonderful!" She flew up to Wuff, close enough that the sprite had to take a step back. Jack knew from experience that she could be quite overwhelming to someone not used to interacting with people at all. "Hello. I'm Tooth. You're name is Wuff? Does it mean anything?"

Wuff explained with a little smile that he had picked the letters at random from the Scrabble board. Tooth laughed, patted his hair and moved on to Wynt. The mini fairy turned around Breeze, who stared at them in fascination, lifting a hand to touch the small, bird-like creatures. Baby Tooth took advantage of everyone being busy to try to catch Jack's attention.

"It's fine, Baby Tooth," he whispered. "Really."

Wynt's startled cry cut off the little fairy's argument. Tooth removed her finger from his mouth with a sheepish smile. Wynt's surprise spooked Hush, who buried his face between the other sprite's shoulder blades to hide from the Tooth Fairy.

"Sorry! It's just that I never got any winter sprites to stay still. They usually either run, attack or ignore me. I had to see!"

Between Hush and Tooth, Wynt decided he had enough. He stalked to the exit, pulling the scared little sprite with him and announcing that he was bringing Hush back somewhere quiet. Tooth with her lip, a guilty look on her face. Jack shook his head and gestured to the exit. They waited until they were out of earshot of the two other sprites to talk.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to upset them."

"Don't worry about it. They're not used to company, and it's a lot for them to handle, but they need it. Wuff and Breeze had each other, but Wynt and Hush have been alone for a really long time."

"It's good of you to take them in, Jack. They're lucky to have someone like you."

Jack averted his eyes in embarrassment, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Do you want to see where we're growing the candies?" he asked, changing the subject.

"You grow the candies?"

"Yeah, kind-of. It's over there."

Baby Tooth had enough of being ignored by now and she tugged sharply on Jack's ear.

"Ow! All right, all right! Tooth, I'm sure Wuff and Breeze will be happy to show you. I'll need a moment."

Tooth looked in puzzlement from Jack to the mini fairy, blinking at them, before nodding and heading back to the living room. Jack sighed and gestured to Baby Tooth to follow, flying off a short distance to the cliff's edge. As soon as they were alone, the small fairy started to chirp frantically.

"Yes, I know where we are. Calm down, Baby Tooth. I said it's fine and I meant it."

She looked at him with worried eyes. Jack couldn't blame her. Years ago, he stood on this very spot, a golden box in his hand, ready to throw it into the freezing sea where no one would find it. Jack turned around, letting his eyes trail on the crack in the icy landscape, the ravine Pitch had thrown them in after breaking his staff. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"It seemed like a fitting place, you know? This is where I realized why the Moon chose me. Why I was a Guardian." He turned back to face the sea. "I used to come to Antarctica a lot, before I became a Guardian. When I just couldn't take it anymore. When I couldn't stand being alone, ignored, invisible. I came here to scream, to cry, to rage against the whole world. But I don't need that anymore. Now, I have a family I can run to. It was time to give this place a new purpose."

She settled on his shoulder to watch the sea with him and rested her small hand on his neck. She understood. They stayed like this until Tooth joined them, a worried frown on her face.

"Jack? Is everything alright?"

He gave her a sincere smile.

"Yes."

* * *

**A few people figured it out by now, so I'll confirm it: the third sprite from ****_Children of Winter _****was Wynt. Jack said he met him after the fifth time he got thrown out of the workshop, which is when that third scene was taking place.**

**Some news: First, I've made no progress on the directory because I was procrastinating. Second, I now have a RotG art blog on tumbrl (called artoftheguardians). I may possibly do some pictures for this fanfic (something I didn't really want to do on my main blog). I've put the link on my profile. Feel free to go there to watch my random doodles.**


	110. Summer Heat

**This takes place after ****_Closure_****, and it's part of the ****_Kids Need to Grow Up _****arc.**

* * *

Bunny looked at the sketches spread out around him. It was the middle of summer and it was time to start making choices. He stared at the different patterns, discarding those that didn't meet his standards. But some he wasn't too sure about. He should take a break, maybe go outside to lie down in the sun while it was still so warm. Before fall came and brought an obnoxious winter chill with it. Or maybe not so obnoxious, this time. Bunny hadn't seen Jack since leaving Burgess over a month ago. He wondered how he was doing. Maybe he should visit.

Bunny's keen ears picked up on a distant sound before he could make up his mind, something falling on a soft surface. He tried to pick up the location it originated from, sniffing the air. He knew that crisp scent of pines and winter. The faint smell of blood sent him bounding to get to the intruder.

He found Jack lying face down in a bed of flower near one of the Warren's entrance tunnel. The kid was conscious, but breathing heavily. He raised his hand in a lazy wave when Bunny crouched next to him. The boy's face was turned away from him, but what little the Pooka could see of his skin was reddened from the heat. Bunny frowned. Jack had visited him before in summer. It was uncomfortably warm for him, but he could handle it.

"Snowflake? You alright? Are you hurt?" He could still smell blood. Barely, but it was there. He saw why when Jack rolled on to his back and gave him a tired smile, wincing when that stretched his split lip.

"I'm fine. Just gonna lie here for a while. Don't mind me." His face was red like he had a fever and his eyes didn't quite focus on Bunny.

"You need to get somewhere cold. I'm taking you back to Burgess."

"No!" In a moment of panic, Jack fumbled to grab Bunny's arm when the Pooka tried to pick him up.

"Jack, tell me what's wrong. Did someone attack you in Burgess?"

"Attack me?"

Bunny wiped the blood dripping along the side of Jack's face from his lip. The boy's eyes widened in understanding as he appeared to only now remember about that. A bruise started to show on his cheekbone and his skin felt too warm.

"Oh, that. Don't worry about that."

"Jack..."

"I just wanted to get away from Burgess, alright? Just for a little while."

Bunny sighed and smoothed the winter spirit's hair back without really noticing. He could understand Jack's desire to leave the small town for now. For many years, he had always looked forward to returning every fall. To see his first believer. But Jamie didn't believe anymore. It would be a lonely winter.

Jack could have gone to see North, instead; it would have been an easier trip. But he didn't mention that. He didn't want the boy to feel unwelcome here. Bunny was secretly glad that he had chosen to come all the way to the Warrens. He still had many questions, but they could wait. He scooped the winter spirit up.

"W-what are you doing? I said I didn't want to go. I won't bother you, I swear."

"Calm down, Frostbite. I'm taking you to your room."

Jack did calm and stayed silent while Bunny brought him to the seldom used bedroom in the Warrens. It was cooler there and the boy breathed out in relief. The Guardian of Hope put him down on the nest-like bed of cushions.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute."

"Not going anywhere."

Bunny hopped away to grab a rag and fill a large bowl with cold spring water. He returned to find Jack exactly where he left him, his eyes half-closed. They drifted fully shut when Bunny ran the wet cloth over his too-warm face.

"So? Did you fly into a cliff and pass out in the desert for a few hours, or what?"

"Uh? No."

"Then tell me what happened."

Jack shrugged and avoided Bunny's eyes. The Pooka grabbed his chin and tilted his head under the pretense of cleaning his bleeding lip. Jack frowned and let out an irritated, but defeated, sigh.

"I wasn't really planning on coming here, all right? I was going to Antarctica."

"Didn't really go in a straight line, did you?"

"I might have wandered a bit. I... didn't really want to be alone. But I felt kind of silly, coming here in the middle of summer because I was a little upset. So I flew around for a long time. It got really warm."

Bunny wished he would not hesitate so much before coming to them. That his first thought wouldn't be to isolate himself in a frozen wasteland. But he didn't know how to get him to understand. Everything he could think of sounded so ridiculously cheesy that there was no way it could be taken seriously. He dipped the cloth back in the water and dropped it on Jack's forehead.

"And how did you get hurt?"

"I'm not hurt. Seriously, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Frostbite, how am I supposed to not worry about it? If you don't tell me, I'll shake some answers out of you."

"It was just summer sprites, okay?" "

"W-what? What do you mean, 'just summer sprites'?"

"They weren't happy with me being around here this time of the year."

Bunny jumped to his feet. He was normally on good terms with summer sprites, but if they thought they could harm his fellow Guardian and get away with it, they were soon going to learn how wrong they were. He didn't get very far. Jack's hand closed around his wrist and jerked him back down. The boy's movements were a lot less awkward than earlier. Bunny was too angry to be pleased with that. He glared at the now half-sitting winter spirit. The wet cloth stuck to his forehead only a second before falling off.

"Let me go. I'm gonna show those little–"

"Stay out of this." Jack's frosty blue eyes stared right into Bunny's. His tone told him he wasn't going to back down on that one. "That's a matter between seasonal spirits. I don't let them hang around when they're not supposed to and, if they get a chance to chase me away, there's no reason they shouldn't take it. I can usually get away with doing what I want, because I'm a lot stronger than them, but I got a little woozy from being out in the heat for too long."

"And you expect me to just let them beat you up when you're weakened?"

"Er, yes?" He sighed and dropped back to the cushions. "That's exactly why I didn't want to tell you. Look, I kind of had it coming. It's not like I never show up just to annoy them. And you're acting like they almost killed me or something. Stop fussing. I just got into a fight with some sprites."

Bunny's ears moved furiously as he tried to calm down. He got what Jack was saying, that this was none of his business, that it was normal seasonal spirit behavior, but that didn't mean he liked it. He picked the cloth from the cushion it had fallen on, wet it again and replaced it on the winter spirit's forehead.

"Fine. I just don't like seeing you hurt, alright? You're family."

A small, but genuine smile tugged at Jack's lips. He turned his head to hide it.

"I'm okay, really. I told you I'm not hurt."

"And Jack." He waited until the boy met his eyes again to continue. "You don't have to go to Antarctica when you're upset."

Jack's breath caught. Bunny hadn't forgotten the story he had told them year ago, about how he went to Antarctica to be alone after Pitch ruined Easter and they blamed the winter spirit for it. The Guardian of Hope wanted to put that time behind them. Far behind.

Jack smiled a bit shakily and, in a falsely casual gesture, drew the wet cloth down over his eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

**I think the request I get most often if to do something with Jack being sick. I don't think Guardians really fall sick, so I don't always know what to do. But here you go!**

**That's not the story I meant to write next, but after several days of failing to write anything (I did try, it's not that I was busy) I went with this one. Updates might get a little scattered. **


	111. Playing Pretend

Jack sighed, his cold breath frosting the dark window in front of him. The last of the tavern's patrons had been thrown out; no one remained awake in the village. No one but Jack. Even the Moon didn't shine in the sky tonight. He was all alone.

With the tip of his finger, Jack drew a small figure in the frost. A friend, someone to keep him company. He smiled. He added some more figures, surrounding his new friend with a small crowd. They all touched as if holding hands. Jack trailed his fingers along the pictures, wishing they would peel of the windowpane to come play with him.

He didn't see any reason why they shouldn't be able to do exactly that. They were ice and he could make ice play with him. Feeling the frost under his finger, he pulled his hand away, willing the figure beneath to follow, to come to life. Frost splintered into flakes, but they kept their shape. A little animated figure of snow danced around Jack, making him smile in triumph and wonder. He did it again with the next one, and again, and again, until all of his little snow friend left the window to come dance with him. Jack laughed.

He was still alone, and maybe he would always be, but at least he could pretend. In the sleeping village, under the moonless sky, Jack played with his creations and, if he really tried, he could even imagine they laughed with him.

* * *

**Have a super short chapter!**


	112. A Familiar Scene

**This takes place after ****_Guardian of Fun._**

* * *

"Jack! Jack, I'm back!"

Jack threw away the small branch he had been picking his toes with and twisted around on his branch to look at Jamie. The kid had gotten quite a tan on his little cruise, but he ran through the snow, his coat unzipped, like he had never left the freezing weather behind. Jack smiled when he saw the pair of ice skates slung over his shoulder. Jamie said his mother had promised him to buy him a pair on their return. Jack flew down from his perch to land in front of Jamie.

"Welcome back, kiddo."

Jamie threw his arms around Jack's waist and hugged him. "I couldn't wait to come back! I hope you guys didn't have _too_ much fun without me."

Jack ruffled his hair. "We had plenty of fun. I guess we'll just need to have even more now, eh?"

"You'll teach me to skate? You promised you would."

"Sure, I will. But first, zip up that coat, before I decide to nip at your nose."

Jamie laughed, hid his nose in his scarf to be safe and did as Jack told him. He then sat in the snow, pulling off his boots to pull on the skates instead. Jack helped him back on his feet and onto the ice. Jamie almost fell face-first the moment he placed the blades on the lake's frozen surface, but Jack held him up.

"T-that's harder than it looks."

"Don't worry, you'll learn fast enough. C'mon, ready to move?"

"I'm not sure."

"Just concentrate on keeping your balance, alright?"

Jamie nodded and gripped Jack's hand with both of his. He was still unstable on his feet and he kept looking at them, as if it would help him keep them steady. Jack slid backward a few steps and Jamie pitched forward.

"Whoa!"

"Don't look down, you'll fall. Look straight ahead. That the way you want to go."

Jamie took a deep breath and pulled his gaze from the skates to look at Jack in front of him. The scene was awfully familiar to the new Guardian. This wasn't the first time he taught someone to skate on this very lake. His memories of his previous life were hazy, at best, but he remembered that part well enough. It might be just his imagination, be he thought that Jamie looked like her.

"The ice is solid, right? Mom always say I shouldn't walk on the lake in case it's not frozen enough."

"It won't break, not as long as I'm here. That, I promise."

Jack picked up speed, still sliding backward on his bare feet over the frozen surface of the lake. They moved in a wide circle around the lake, Jamie's face progressively loosing its worried frown. By the end of the second turn, Jamie was grinning.

"I think I got this!"

"Alright, try moving your feet, now."

The first few strokes were awkward at best, but Jamie learned fast. He was almost skating on his own in no time. The kid's smile widened. Jack smiled back.

"You're good at this. Care to try on your own?"

"I, uh–"

"Just let go of my hand when you're ready, alright?"

"Alright."

They went half of the way around the small lake again before Jamie let go with one hand. They completed their turn by the time he let go entirely. He waved his arms around to keep his balance, but he didn't fall. Jack watched him skate on his own with a proud smile, much like he had with his little sister three hundred years ago. He had time to teach her, before disaster struck. Right here, on this lake.

But this wasn't only the lake where he died. It wasn't only the lake where the Moon had given him his new life as the Spirit of Winter. It was also on that very same lake that he had sworn his oath as a Guardian. To protect the children.

"You have no reason to be afraid, Jamie," he whispered. "I've sworn I would protect you, and I will. No matter what."

"Uh? Did you say something, Jack?"

"Nothing. Now, how about we have a little fun?"

* * *

**Ideally, I'd start my new arc next chapter. But that won't happen unless I can completely outline it in the next two days. Which I doubt, since I barely worked on it at all (mind you, I never really outlined my arcs ahead of time before, but that's not one I want to improvise on). So, we'll see.**

**In other news, I started the directory (finally). There's only the first 10 chapters, right now, but at least it's started.**


	113. Bitter Heart

**A little note, about chapter numbers. I get asked for them a lot, so I just wanted to say why I don't include them. I write chapter titles from memory. I don't know what the number is. Usually, I don't have internet access when I write (I wrote this one at the park). To give you the number, I would have to look it up when I submit and I'm no more eager than anyone else to navigate that ridiculous drop-down list. I'm already writing the chapters, I'm leaving that part to you. Also, I've moved chapters around in the past and I don't want to have to change numbers everywhere if I do it again. **

**With that said, this is a sequel to ****_Children of Winter _****and ****_Still a Child._**

* * *

Jack had taken a liking to this country called Russia. Snow came easily, here, an invitation for winter spirits to come and play. To make this place their home. It was conveniently located near North's workshop, so that he only had a short trip to make when coming back from bothering the big man. Or rather, bothering Phil. Jack doubted that North was aware of his attempts. He would need some other way to remind him he existed.

But Phil knew. Jack liked Phil. He was the closest thing he had to a friend. Maybe not the kind of friend you went to when you needed a shoulder to cry on, but a friend nonetheless. He was always where Jack expected him to be when he needed him. A familiar, predictable presence in his life. If he tried to bust into the workshop, he could count on Phil to show up and stop him. Jack needed that.

He still kept an eye out for the young winter sprite he met here years ago, whenever he was in the area. The one Jack had believed might become a real friend. Several times, he visited the spot where the new sprite was born, but he never saw any signs of him. No movements, no suspicious patches of frost. Nothing. He did not think the sprite ever returned. He looked elsewhere, but he could not comb every inch of wilderness searching for a sprite who didn't want to be found.

Jack knew a village hid in a valley not too far ahead. The slow river that crossed the vale froze solid in winter, giving the children easy access to the old evergreen forest on the other side. They loved to play under the tall pine trees, where the ground was covered in frozen needles rather than snow. He would likely find them there.

Instead, he found them screaming on the river itself. The ice, so thick this time of the year, had cracked under their feet. The children did not dare move, for fear that it would break even more and send them in the frozen waters bellow, so they called for help. Someone might hear them, back in the village, but Jack could not wait for a rescue party. He descended upon the river and, with a single strike from his staff, mended the cracks in the ice.

The children looked down, their faces filled with awe. They whispered of miracles. Jack knew better than to hope. No one believed that winter spirits caused miracles. One careful step at a time, they returned to the shore, to run back to their village. All but one. Jack frowned at the winter sprite. The sprite glared back.

"You're going too far, sprite. Take your anger on someone else. They're only children."

The sprite didn't answer. He kept staring at Jack, his icy blue eyes locked with the Spirit of Winter's own. Jack opened his mouth to scold him some more, but only a strangled sound came out.

"Y-you!"

He barely recognized the young sprite. Gone was the innocence, the wide-eyed wonder, the smile. Gone was the crushed look of one whose illusions had just been shattered. Only anger and bitterness remained. Jack had met other sprites like him, but, for the first time, he realized that they had not simply been born that way. That, once, they had been like him.

"Why..."

The sprite's voice was cold and harsh when he answered. He wanted to be acknowledged. Jack winced. It was something he could relate to, but the sprite's methods horrified him. Once, he had scared children when trying to show them he existed. The look on their faces was one he never wanted to see again.

"You're scaring them. You could have killed them." He found no guilt in the sprite's eyes. Only anger and pain. "How could you chose this? I thought... I thought we were alike."

He was afraid to think about this. He could not say it hadn't crossed his mind to try again, after scaring the kids the first time. He thought that, maybe, he could get them to believe that way. They would be terrified of him, but they would see him. He didn't want to scare children, but he so desperately wanted to be believed in that he had considered it. He had wondered if it would be worth it.

But he had promised the Sandman that he would never do it again, and he wasn't going to go back on his word. He tried to convince himself that this wasn't the main thing stopping him. He tried to convince himself that he couldn't possibly turn like the bitter child in front of him, given time. That he was strong enough to go on. He wished he believed it.

"You could have been better! You _should _have been better!"

Jack didn't know if he was really angry at the sprite or merely afraid. He felt like he was looking in a mirror, at what he might have been, what he could still become. The sprite turned away from him, walking away in the old forest and Jack didn't follow. Didn't dare follow.

Maybe he should pay the workshop another visit.

* * *

**As you can see, I'm writing new chapters instead of outlining my next arc. So, it might take a while. The good new is, I have two long week-ends coming up. Sure, I have an obligation to get drunk and wave a flag for the Fête Nationale, but I can work on my outline while doing that. **


	114. Fun Times Are Over

Ashley shrieked and laughed as the snowball splattered against the base of her neck, snow dripping in her coat. She shook it and jumped in place to get it out while Jamie laughed, at least until Sophie threw a snowball of her own at him.

"Alright, alright. I give up," Ashley shouted when Jade aimed at her. Standing right next to her mother, she could hardly miss. "It's late, and it's time for you to go to bed."

"But mom, I was winning."

"That's right. You won. Now go inside and get changed." Jade pouted, but did as she was told. Ashley turned back to them, a wide smile on her face, her eyes sparkling. "That... was fun. We should do this again, sometime. Are you coming inside, Sophie?"

"No. You're right, it's getting late. I'll leave soon. But I'd like to take a little walk to the lake, first. Mind if I drag my brother with me?"

"Go ahead. Just don't come back too late." She put on her best mother face and waved a finger at Jamie in warning.

"I promise I won't miss my bedtime." He smiled innocently at her. Her own smile returned and she waved Sophie goodbye before running up the stairs to return inside.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble!" Sophie called after her. Jamie elbowed her in the ribs and she laughed, grabbed his arm and pulled him off the lawn.

They walked to the lake, still flushed from the exertion and smiling widely. There wasn't much snow left and, unless Jack decided to give them one last storm, it would soon be gone. Sophie had decided she should pay them a visit before it all melted away. She drove to their house, shouted her brother's name and threw a snowball at him when he opened the door. A snow war had ensued.

The lake was deserted when they reached it and grass was starting to show through the snow. Jamie hadn't seen the Guardian in a few days, but that didn't mean he wasn't there, or wouldn't come back soon. He had not told him he was leaving for the summer yet. Jamie hoped Jack wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. It had been so long since he had last done that, he might forget. Summer was going to be so long this year.

"Jack?" Sophie called.

"I don't think he's there."

"You're right, little Jamie. He's not there," a smooth, sinister voice said from behind them. "And you'll never see him again."

Jamie froze. He knew that voice. He heard it for the last time almost two decades ago, but he could still recognize it anywhere. Pitch Black. The Boogeyman himself. His throat when dry.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked. Jamie only now realized that his sister had never seen the one who caused them so much troubles when they were children. She tugged on his sleeve. "Jamie, who's that?"

"What did you do to Jack?"

He never believed that Pitch could be half as forgiving as Jack and the idea that the Boogeyman might have taken advantage of the Guardian's willingness to give him another chance gave Jamie a chill. Different scenarios played through his head, each more horrifying than the last. Sophie's fingers gripped the fabric so hard that her knuckles turned white. She might have guessed who they were dealing with.

"It's not Jack you should be worried about."

"W-what do you mean?"

He moved in front of Sophie. Pitch stood between them and their way home, with only the lake surrounded by tall rocks and the woods at their backs. He took half a step back.

"Jack Frost isn't the only one I have any reason to be angry at and, unlike him, you're of no use to me."

Jamie swallowed. Black sand rose around Pitch, forming into a bow in his hand. The man drew the string and an notched arrow formed between his fingers. Sophie jerked him backward.

"Don't just stand there, run!"

Jamie didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran for the lake, aiming for a spot between two large rocks on the other side. He didn't know how they'd get back to safety after that, but his priority was getting away from the Nightmare King.

He wasn't afraid of running on the ice. He had done it a thousand time before. But he knew quickly enough that he had made a mistake. It was spring and Jack Frost wasn't around. The ice didn't feel as solid under his feet. He had to come to a sudden halt when the cracks surrounded him. There was no safe way to continue. Sophie had been a few steps ahead of him, but she couldn't make it to the other side either. Jamie wished his sister hadn't been dragged into this.

He looked behind him to see Pitch taking aim at him. Maybe it was time to take a deep breath and go under. The freezing water was not nearly as threatening as the nightmare arrow. Jamie licked his lips. He couldn't get his body to move. Pitch smirked, The arrow left the bow. Sophie screamed his name. Jamie closed his eyes.

Something hard and blunt connected to his back between his shoulderblades and sent him crashing on the frozen surface of the lake. The ice should have broken, but it didn't. Jamie opened his eyes. Frost covered the cracks, patching them. He knew that frost. He knew who saved him. He rolled on his back and saw Jack looking at him with a strangely blank expression. Frost spreaded from the end of his staff resting against the lake.

"Jamie. Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. Tanks."

"J-Jack. Y-you..."

Sophie's voice shook so much that he could barely understand her. She trailed off, unable to finish. Jamie felt the dread return. Something had happened. Something bad. He scrambled to his feet. Jack slowly turned to face Pitch and that's when Jamie saw it. A spot of darkness on the Guardian's back. And it was spreading.

"Jack..."

Jack wasn't paying attention. He was staring at Pitch. Jamie couldn't see his friend's expression, but the Boogeyman stared back, stricken. This was not the result he had been hoping for. But he stretched his lips into a grin anyway and forced out a laugh.

"Well, well. Jack. What a surprise. You should have stayed away. You would not have gotten hurt." Jack didn't answer. Didn't move. Pitch's grin dropped, but returned full force when he looked at Jamie. "This is your fault. Don't ever forget that. He would have been fine without you. Now, I get to be rid of that annoying Guardian _and _make you pay. This is the best possible situation. The best."

Sophie yelled in rage and ran at Pitch. His laugh as he melted into the shadows wasn't nearly as confident as his words, but Jamie took no comfort in knowing that the Boogeyman was unsettled by this turn of event. He placed a trembling hand on Jack's shoulder and made him turn. The Spirit of Winter didn't raise his head, keeping his eyes on Jamie's chin.

"J-Jack? You're going to be alright, right?"

He shook the Guardian when he didn't answer. His entire chest had turned black, now, and it started to crawl up his neck. The contaminated area was frozen, but it did not stop it from spreading. Jack was turning into a black ice statue and it was all Jamie's fault. He pulled his friend against him and held him tight, sobbing. He was even colder than usual.

Jack finally moved, with much difficulties, and tugged on Jamie's hair, whispering something he couldn't quite hear in a weak voice. Jamie lowered his head to allow the Guardian to speak directly into his ear.

"Jamie... you... have to... keep believing."

"What? What do you mean? Jack? Tell me how to help you."

Jack did look up at him, now, and Jamie saw no hope in his eyes. The darkness was creeping up his face. The ice that followed froze his lips together. If Jack had a solution, he wasn't about to say it. When it reached his eyes, the Guardian closed them. Jaime watched in horror as the darkness finished it's work. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the strangely peaceful face of his friend as it froze.

He didn't get to stare for long. With a sound that tore at his soul, the ice shattered, scattering black shards at Jamie's feet. The staff remained intact, clattering to the ground over them. He wanted to drop to his knees, to gather them, but the frozen surface of the lake cracked again, tearing open. Jamie would have fallen in had Sophie not grabbed him and pulled him off the lake. He struggled in her grasp, trying to reach the shards of ice before they all trickled down into the water.

"It's too late, Jamie. There's nothing you can do. We have to get out of here. It's not safe anymore."

He turned to shout at her, to tell her he couldn't just leave, not now, not when he just saw his friend shatter into a thousand piece, but the sight of her tear-stained face stopped him. In front of them, the lake had frozen again. The only sign of what happened was the shepherd's crook resting on the ice. Jamie shrugged off Sophie's grip. She didn't stop him.

The ice was solid under his feet. He walked to the staff and picked it up, turning it between his fingers. This couldn't be real. None of this was real. It was a nightmare. That was it, Pitch had sent him a nightmare to punish him. He squeezed the staff so hard that it hurt, every little bumps in the wood digging into his palms. It didn't feel like a nightmare.

Sophie was beside him again, tugging on his elbow. He knew she was right; they had to leave. He threw one last glance at the lakes surface before letting her pull him away, hoping to see Jack's face staring up at him from beneath the ice. He saw nothing but darkness.

His friend was gone.

* * *

**That's it, I'm done. End of the story. T'was fun while it lasted.**

* * *

I seriously considered leaving it at that and letting you guys yell at me, but I'll be nice. You may or may not have guessed it, this is the first chapter of the _Fun Times Are Over _arc. I was planning on waiting until it's fully outline to post anything, but I'm not patient enough. So, first chapter is up.


	115. Picking Up The Pieces

**Part 2 of the ****_Fun Times Are Over_**** arc. I wasn't planning to take this long to write it, but things got a little chaotic and I was too stressed to write.**

* * *

Pitch Black stared at the bed. It looked so innocuous, just sitting there in the middle of the wood; a normal bed. Nothing about it would let anyone believe that it hid the entrance to the Boogeyman's lair. Or that it had been put together by the Spirit of Winter. Or rather, the Winter Prince, as he was known these days. Pitch could still see him kneeling there, in the moonlight, trying to puzzle out the hieroglyphic instructions. He could still see his embroidered velvet cloak snapping in the wind as the arrow connected with his back. He could still see the Guardian's disappointed gaze when he turned to face him.

"This is perfect. It's a blessing. I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. Jack Frost is dead. Dead! And little Jamie will pay. His light will burn out. I will be rid of both of them. It's perfect."

Pitch trailed his fingers along the bed frame. It might not have as much potential as his original plan, but that one had always been too risky. Jack might not have done what he was supposed to, no matter how hard Pitch pushed him. This was better. He got his revenge. Now, he could deal with the Guardians without the little winter spirit's interference. It was time for a new plan. He had just the thing needed. Maybe he still had some use of the Guardian of Fun, after all.

The night was chilly. A thin layer of frost had formed on the mattress. Pitch remembered the kid's proud face when he placed it on the Boogeyman's new bed. His fingers curled on the bars. He pulled, pushed, bending them until he twisted the frame into a properly sinister form. The mattress popped out, unable to fit into the new shape. Pitch threw it aside and smirked. This was much better. Pitch had no time to rest and stare up at the sky.

This was much better. He needed to keep reminding himself of that.

* * *

Once they got closer to Jamie's home, Sophie had to drag him along. He dug his heels in when they reached the corner of his street. She turned to face him, trying to make out his expression through the veil of her tears. He was hugging Jack's staff to his chest. It looked wrong without it's coating of frost.

"Soph, I can't. I can't just go back. Not after... what am I supposed to tell Ash?"

"I'll talk to her. Later. I'm taking you home with me. We just need to get to my car. We can worry about everything else later. Later."

He followed along, trailing a step behind her. A light still shone in the living room window of Jamie's house, but Sophie saw no movement. They got in the car without a word and remained silent through the short drive to her apartment. She could barely see the road through the tears clouding her vision. Jamie stared ahead, but she doubted he was seeing what was in front of him. She knew what her brother saw. Sophie shuddered and chased the thought away. She needed to get them home.

Jamie didn't move even after she parked the car. She went around to the passenger door and pulled him out. He stumbled after her, up the spiral staircase and into her apartment. She led him to the rarely used guest room. He staggered to the bed and buried his head into the pillow, the staff still held against his chest.. Sophie wanted nothing more than to do the same, but she still had some things to handle. She squeezed her brother's shoulder, hoping he would be alright but knowing he wouldn't, and she picked his cell phone from his pocket before leaving. She didn't want him to be disturbed. He needed time.

She sat at her desk, pulled a blank sheet out of the printer and picked up a pen. It had been a long time since she had written a letter to Santa. She promised herself that, next Christmas, she would write something nice to the Guardian of Wonder. But today, she had sad news. She could not even begin to think of how to announce this. How do you tell someone that the youngest member of their family was dead? By the time she was done, her desk was covered in crumpled papers full of scratched out lines and wet spots.

Sophie folded the paper into an envelope and scribbled the address at the back. She peeked into the guest room on her way to the door. Her bother was still sobbing into his pillow.

"Jamie... I'll be gone a moment, alright? I'll come back soon."

Jamie made no signs that he heard her. She bit her lip, hesitating to leave him. But the Guardians had to know. She closed the door softly.

Her walk to the mailbox went by in a blur and she was there without remembering walking there. She stared at the letter in her hands, replaying the scene at the lake in her mind. She saw again the brief widening of Jack eyes, carefully wiped away in favor of a blank look. If Jack had been afraid, he didn't want them to know.

It took her long to realize that the sappy love song she was hearing wasn't the badly chosen soundtrack of her memories, but Jamie's cell phone. She blinked away her tear, shoved the letter through the slot and answered the phone.

"Ashley?"

"S-Sophie? Where's Jamie? It's late and he isn't back yet and I saw that your car was gone–"

"He came back home with me."

"Without telling me anything? Sophie, what's going on? Why do you have his phone? I want to talk to him."

"He's not with me."

"You said–"

"I'm not home. Please calm down. Jamie needs some time, okay? He's... really upset right now."

"Is this about this Jack Overland again?" Ashley snapped. Sophie winced. "What did he do, reject Jamie's declaration of love?"

"He's dead."

There was silence on the other end. Sophie squeezed the phone in her trembling hands. She needed to get back home. She had sent her letter to North, she told Ashley what she needed to know, now she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

"I'm so sorry, Sophie. I... take care of Jamie, alright? And tell him... tell him I love him."

"I will."

When she returned home, she crawled into her brother's bed like she used to when she was very young and woke up from a nightmare. But this time, he was in no state to comfort her. She whispered Ashley's message into his ear and buried her face into his back. She still hoped she would wake up from this nightmare.

* * *

Jamie waited until he was sure Sophie was asleep to get up. He was too restless to sleep, too afraid of what he would see if he closed his eyes. He needed to take a walk, to try to clear his mind. The cool spring air would help.

But the chill in the air merely reminded him of his lost friend. The friend who died to save him. Jamie felt dizzy just thinking about that. He had killed Jack. The Guardian of Fun was dead. Because of him. Pitch's words wouldn't leave his mind. _"This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."_

It was a long walk to the lake from Sophie's apartment, but his aimless wandering brought him there anyway. He stood at the edge and stared at the spot where he last saw his friend. He fell on his knees in the wet snow. He turned the shepherd's crook in his hands, running his fingers over every groove in the wood usually covered in ice.

"_This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."_

* * *

With Easter just past, Bunny had been hoping for some quiet time to relax. He was less than happy about being called to the North Pole. His annoyance faded when he entered the workshop to find the toys abandoned on their tables and the yetis sitting around, forlorn. He was directed to North's office when he asked where he was and he found the other Guardian sitting there, a cup of eggnog in front of him. When he saw Bunny, he poured another one.

"North? What's happening, mate? Why is everyone acting like somebody just died?"

A tear fell from the corner of North's eye and he took a long swallow from his cup. Bunny's stomach constrained in dread.

"Sit down, Bunny. We wait for others."

"What? I'm not gonna wait here while you cry into your cup."

"I'm not saying this twice."

"North, what's going on? You're scaring me, mate."

North pushed a crumpled piece of paper his way. Bunny smoothed it out and squinted at it. The handwriting was shaky and many parts were completely illegible where wet spots made the ink run. Some of the tear marks were new, but others were dry. Either North had been crying over this letter for a long time or whoever wrote it had been crying as well.

"This is gibberish. What am I supposed to do with this? It looks like it's saying... like it's saying... North?"

The Guardian poured himself another cup and pushed the one he had filled earlier toward Bunny. The Pooka stared at Sophie's tear-stained signature at the bottom of the letter. He gulped. His throat felt dry. He grabbed the cup.

* * *

They took North's sleigh to the lake. Bunny didn't even protest. The trip was gloomy, with no sound but Tooth's muffled sobs as she cried into his shoulder. He patted her back, but he had no words of comfort to offer her.

A kneeling figure turned its head at their arrival. The man rose, a familiar staff in hand and hope filled Bunny's chest. This was just a mistake. A misunderstanding. Jack was alive. He was right there, standing by his lake. His moment of hope did not last. This wasn't Jack's figure. Too tall, not as skinny. He recognize Jamie fast enough. He never believed he would ever be so disappointed to see the one who had saved them all. He jumped out of the sleigh and ran to the man.

"Where's Sophie?"

"Home. Sleeping."

"What happened? How—Sophie said that Pitch..."

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. I did this. He would have been fine without me."

"What are you talking about, mate? If Pitch did anything to Jack, that's not your fault."

Jamie told his story in a halting tone as the others gathered around him. He kept his eyes trained on the ground, unable to meet their gazes. He held the staff against his chest like it gave him some comfort. Bunny was surprised the thing hadn't broken when Jack died. When Jack died. Even thinking this made him shiver.

"We'll make Pitch pay," Tooth said. Tears still streamed down her face, but her back was straight, her chin raised. Her words had a boosting effect on the rest of them. They may be too late to save Jack, but they could avenge him. Sandy nodded grimly, North wiped his tears and wrapped his hands around the pommels of his swords. Bunny placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder.

"This isn't your fault, Jamie. It's Pitch's."

Jamie didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway. He looked down at the staff he still held against his chest and awkwardly held it out to Bunny. The Pooka could tell how hard it was for him to give up that small comfort.

"Keep it."

"A-are you sure?"

"Jack would want you to keep it." The kid had died for his friend, after all. If the staff helped him, the Guardian of Fun would want him to have it. Even if Bunny would like to hold that flimsy piece of wood himself.

"Jack said... he asked me to keep believing."

Relief flooded through Bunny as he considered those words. Of course. Trust Snowflakes to think more clearly than the rest of them even as he was dying.

"Yes," North shouted, "keep believing!"

"Right. Keep believing. You remember what happened with Sandy, right? Pitch killed him, too. And he came back." Sandy nodded, smiling encouragingly at Jamie. "So keep believing. It's not all over. There's still hope for Jack."

"T-there is?"

"There's always hope, mate. Always. Now, you're looking awful. I'm taking you back home. You guys come up with a battle plan; I won't be gone long."

He pulled the still stunned man in the direction of his house. Even if he couldn't wait to get a hold of Pitch, he owed it to Jamie. He had saved them, once. He kept him from disappearing entirely. He would take care of him. Sandy tugged at his arm before he could take more than a step. The little man held up a glass vial filled with luminous golden sand. Bunny took it and placed it into Jamie's hand.

"What...?"

"Just open it before you sleep. You can use some sweet dreams."

Jamie nodded choppily. He really did look awful, with circles under his eyes, pasty white skin and an unfocused gaze. Bunny tugged on his arm and he didn't resist as the Pooka brought him back to his house. The lights were still on and Bunny's sharp ears could pick up a panicked voice inside. Jamie made no move to enter. He just stood in front of the door, shaking and hugging Jack's staff. Bunny rang the doorbell.

Hurried steps came closer. A disheveled woman with a coat thrown over her pajama opened the door, a phone held between her cheek and her shoulder. She interrupted her conversation when she saw her husband standing there.

"Jamie! Thank God you're here." She pulled him inside, pulling her attention back to the person on the phone. Bunny could hear her even after the door closed in his face. "Yes, he's here. No, you stay where you are. I'll come to get you when I've taken care of your brother. Don't go anywhere. Either of you."

When he was satisfied that Jamie would be seen to, Bunny turned away from the house. It was time to avenge the Winter Prince's death.

* * *

**Sorry, no Jack this chapter. He's kind of dead, you know? I'll try to have the next chapter up in a few days, but I make no promises.**


	116. He'll Be Back

**I love you guys. Really. Is it bad that I'm happy when I make you cry?**

**Part 3 of the ****_Fun Times Are Over _****arc.**

* * *

The battle plan was "attack". It was doomed to fail from the start. They ran to the entrance to Pitch's lair and stormed the place. They wanted to punch the bastard, hurt him, maybe even kill him. They couldn't even find him. They wandered around in the dark, the moving shadows putting them on edge and mocking laughter coming from nowhere sending them running in different directions. They got separated more than once. These are the times Pitch would attack.

This was one such time. Bunny backed away from the black sand flying at him. This wasn't going well. He was bleeding from a few cuts and he didn't even know where to throw his boomerangs. Darkness clawed at the edge of his visions from nightmare sand stuck in the wounds. Not enough to be a danger, except that this was a fight and any distraction was a danger.

Just as he tried to regain his footing, the ground gave way, turning to shadows. He would have fallen to a lower level, even farther from his companions, had someone not grabbed him by the leather strap crossing his chest and back. His savior flew away, still holding him up above the ground.

"Wait, Tooth! I almost had him!"

"He almost had you, you mean."

"We could have gotten rid of him."

"Or we could have lost you, too. We're going back to the others."

They were following a stream of Dreamsand, which soon led them back to their fellow Guardians. North and Sandy stood back to back, staring into the darkness, looking for any sign of the one they came here for. Tooth put him down next to them.

"That bloody coward isn't coming out unless he can get us alone."

"You come here to fight me four on one and you call _me _a coward?"

Bunny threw a boomerang in the direction he thought Pitch's voice came returned to his hand without hitting anything. Pitch laughed again.

"Pitch!" North shouted. He took one step toward a darkened hallway, but Sandy grabbed his coat and pulled him back. The shape of a snowflake appeared above his head. "I know, Sandy! That's why we're here. He killed Jack!"

"Oooh, you should have seen it. The darkness consuming him, it felt so sweet. Like revenge."

"Pitch! That's it, when I catch you–"

"Enough!" Tooth shouted, grabbing him again and jerking him backward before he could dash away from the others. "He baiting you. Sandy's right, Jack is our priority."

"You're the one who said we would make him pay."

"We will. But not if it cost us our chance to bring Jack back. Getting beaten here won't help him. Jack isn't lost to us, Bunny."

Bunny looked down, his ears drooping back. Tooth and Sandy were right, of course. They had to concentrate on bringing the kid back. They could avenge him after. He knew their desire to come here now had been selfish. They wanted a distraction, so they didn't have to think about their failure to protect him. He should never have let the kid hang around with Pitch. He knew it wouldn't end well.

"We go back to Pole," North said. "We plan there. Bunny?"

Bunny sighed and nodded. He tapped a foot to the ground, opening a rabbit hole. Before jumping in, he looked in the darkness one last time.

"We'll be back. And we'll win."

* * *

Jamie didn't want to wake up. He hanged on to the dreams as long as he could. But they could not last forever. The midday light shone in his face through the window and finished waking him up. He blinked several times and rubbed the sand out of his eyes. The memories returned all too soon. _"This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."_

Jack's staff leaned against the wall next to the bed. He was sure he had still been holding it when he fell asleep. He picked it back up and wandered out of the room, with no real purpose. He wasn't sure he felt ready to face anyone right now, but he didn't want to stay alone either. He found Sophie eating cheerios in the kitchen. No one else was in sight and the house was silent.

"Soph? What are you doing here? Where's Ashley? Where's Jade? It's Sunday, right?"

"Good morning to you too. Not that it's morning."

"Soph–"

"Calm down. Sit. Eat. They're fine. Mom will be taking care of Jade for a few days. Ashley took her there. And yes, it's Sunday. You slept twelve hours, not thirty-six."

"Oh."

He grabbed a bowl and spoon and sat down in front of her. The microwave informed him that it was one o'clock. He was starving, but didn't feel like eating.

"Now, you tell me what possessed you to walk back here in the middle of the night without telling me. Do you have any idea how worried I was? I tried calling you, but I still had your phone."

Jamie hadn't even realized that Sophie took his phone. He looked down at his empty bowl. He hadn't meant to make her worry. She had enough to deal with already without her brother disappearing on her like that.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't planning to come here. I just went for a walk. I ended up at the lake. The Guardians came there. Bunny brought me back here. He said you told them about Jack?" Sophie nodded. "I'm so sorry for letting you deal with everything. I–I should have–"

"Bunny said Jack might come back."

Jamie's head shot up. "You spoke to him?"

"He was here earlier. He said they were going back to the Pole, to figure out how to bring him back. He could be back, Jamie. He could be back."

Jamie nodded, returning his gaze to his bowl. "Jack said to keep believing, before he... before he died."

"I'm believing. I'm not about to stop."

"I know, I am too, but he's not back yet. Why? Do we need to believe harder? Does it just take time?"

"I don't know, Jamie."

Sophie sighed. She had dark circles under her eyes and Jamie felt guilty for sleeping so well this night. He didn't deserve the Dreamsand. Not when he played such a role into this mess.

"This should never had happened. It's all my fault."

"Don't be an idiot."

"It's me Pitch wanted."

"Because you saved the Guardians. Would Jack have been better off if you hadn't?"

"No..."

"Then stop worrying about it."

"He didn't have to do that. To save me."

"No, he didn't. But he chose to. Drop it, Jamie. Eat."

He could tell his sister was too tired to argue with him, so he did drop it. He filled his bowl with cheerios instead of explaining to her that none of this would have happened if he hadn't started believing again. Pitch had been the one to make him stop believing the first time around, or so Jack told him. It might have been enough if he hadn't ruined that as well. And Jack would still be here. _"This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."_

He would bring him back. Somehow. Like they brought back Sandy. And sitting here moping wasn't going to do that. With a burst of determination, he pushed away his despair and sat straighter. He may be responsible for this mess, but he would fix it. He would bring back the Guardian of Fun. He forced a smile on his lips and was surprised to find it becoming genuine.

"Soph, how about we make some paper snowflakes?"

* * *

They found the sprite sitting on Jack's bed. Tooth sent Baby Tooth to get him when they learned the news, to give the little fairy something to keep her busy. A mission she could focus on. She now knelt on Jack bedside table, hugging a plastic action figure of the Guardian. A gift from North for his first Christmas with them. The sprite simply sat there and stared at the wall. Tooth placed a hand on his small shoulder.

"Wynt, isn't it? He'll be back. I swear he'll be back. But we need your help."

The sprite looked at her, his eyes begging her to tell him what to do. How to help Jack return.

"We need children believing," North explained. "We need you and the other sprites to fill in for Jack. To bring fun to the children of the world. To keep the lights burning bright."

Wynt took a deep breath and nodded. His lost expression was gone, replaced by resolve. He had a purpose, now, and he would do his best. He did not bother saying goodbye before flying out the window. Tooth smile. They could do this. She scooped up her little fairy in her hands.

"We need to do our own part. Sandy?" The little man nodded and gave her a thumb up. She turned to the others. "We'll have to go, to return to our job. You two try to find something that can help. Call us if you have any idea."

"Go.." Bunny said. "We'll do what we can. We'll figure it out."

* * *

It was a full day before Jamie returned to the lake. He tried to keep his smile on, to have fun, no matter how much he wanted to break down and cry. They cut paper snowflakes. He made Yeti stew for supper. He knew Ashley thought he was in denial. He wasn't. Jack would be back. That was just a fact.

But he wasn't back yet and it was getting hard to keep that smile. Ashley had left for work after asking him half a dozen time if he was sure he didn't want her to take the day off to stay with him. He told her he would be fine, but he wasn't. Sophie hadn't come out of the guest room yet and Jamie pretended he couldn't hear her crying. He left to take a walk.

He tested the ice with one foot. It looked solid. The Guardian had frozen the lake back when he returned and it hadn't thinned enough to be dangerous. He wondered if it ever would, or if the spirit trapped within would keep it frozen forever. He was still careful as he walked back to the spot where Jack had died. The ice was thicker here, where it had opened and frozen again. He knelt and peered through. He only saw darkness.

He still held Jack staff in one hand, but he pressed the other to the frozen surface. He almost expected to see Jack press his hand on the other side. But there was nothing. Jamie sighed.

"You told me to keep believing. I'm believing. Come back... please come back." He choked down a sob. "Come back," he shouted. "I believe in you!"

"I know."

Jamie gasped and turned. Standing behind him, Jack Frost smiled.

* * *

**This isn't over, guys. We're about halfway through. I think.**


	117. Wrong

**Part four of the ****_Fun Times Are Over _****arc.**

* * *

Jamie stared, stunned. He stood and, with a shaky hand, poked Jack in the chest. He almost expected it to go through. It didn't. Jack's staff clattered to the ground when Jamie threw his arms around the Guardian in a hug.

"You're here! You're real!"

"Of course I am."

Jack ruffled his hair like nothing was wrong. Jamie held him tighter, tears pricking at his eyes. He was afraid that, any moment, he would wake up. That this was a dream and it would soon turn into a nightmare. Fear almost overshadowed his joy at seeing his friend alive.

"I'm so sorry."

"Come on, Jamie. Are you trying to strangle me?"

"S-sorry. I'm just so happy to see you." He released his friend, embarrassed. He was still shaking, still expecting this to be only his imagination. He looked around for some distraction. His eyes landed on the staff he dropped earlier. He scooped it back up and held it out to Jack. "I got your staff. I took good care of it. I–sorry I dropped it."

No frost spreaded from Jack's fingers when they curled around it. The Guardian observed it, shook his head and sighed.

"Thanks."

"Jack? Are you alright? Why isn't it, uh..."

"I'll be fine. I just came back to life, you know? Give me time."

Jack smiled at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. Jamie wondered if he knew, or at least suspected, something. If he really just needed some time, or if there was something wrong with him and he wouldn't say what. He couldn't have lost his powers, could he?

"Sandy was doing alright after he came back."

"Sandy's pretty much made of Dreamsand. Nightmare Sand is just corrupted Dreamsand. It makes sense that it would be easier for Sandy, right?"

Jamie nodded, disheartened. He hoped nothing was permanently wrong with Jack. He would never forgive himself. _"This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."_ He should be overjoyed to see his friend back, but worry, fear and a certain awkwardness overpowered that joy.

"You should talk to them about it. The Guardians, I mean. They'll want to know your back. I–Sophie will want to know your back. Everyone was worried about you. I was worried about you. I'm so glad you're back..."

Jack gave him that smile that didn't reach his eyes again and Jamie shuddered. He may be back, but it felt... wrong. He wanted the old Jack back. The Jack whose whole face lit up when he smiled. But it was his own fault this happened. He couldn't complain, merely do his best to help.

"Right. How about you go see dear Sophie while I fly north, eh? I'll see you again later."

Jamie nodded numbly, torn between wanting this uncomfortable talk to be over and wanting to hug Jack again. He felt guilty over that. His friend was back. He should be crying with joy. But he was so afraid and he felt like Jack was holding him at arm's length. He settled for squeezing his shoulder.

"Take care of yourself. And, uh... I'm here if you need help, alright?"

Jack just gave him another empty smile before taking off. At least he could still fly. Jamie stared after him until he disappeared in the distance. He could hardly believe what just happened. That Jack was back, just like that. He should be happy, yet he wasn't. He was too afraid.

"He's alive. That's what matters. He's alive. He's back."

He returned home in a daze and knocked on the guest room's door. He still hadn't figured out how to break the news to Sophie when she opened the door, still in her pajama, her hair tangled and her eyes red.

"Jamie? You okay? You look like you saw a ghost."

"Jack's alive."

She stared. Blinked. Opened her mouth. Closed it again. Sophie shook her head and gave him a disbelieving look.

"Alive? Where is he? Why are you not smiling? What's going on?"

"He–he left to see the Guardians. I don't know what's going on, Soph. I think something's wrong with him. I just... I don't know."

"But he's alive."

"He's alive."

A grin split Sophie's face. She threw her arms around him, laughed, spun him around. Jamie chuckled when he almost lost his balance and sent them both tumbling to the ground. Jack was alive. His fear was fading at last and he laughed with her. Jack was alive. He was back. He hugged Sophie back and laughed so hard that he cried.

* * *

"We weren't sure you'd here."

Night had fallen by the time Sophie dragged him to the lake. Jamie insisted that Jack wouldn't be back yet, that he would stay at the North Pole for the night, but Sophie pointed out that taking a short walk wouldn't hurt either way. If he was honest with himself, Jamie had to admit that he was a little frightened at the idea of facing Jack again. He didn't know how to act around the Guardian anymore.

Jack flew down from his perch on a tree branch. His staff was still free of frost and the snow was melting around the lake after the warm day they had. Jack smiled and Jamie looked down rather than look at it. Sophie hesitated a beat before hugging the winter spirit, rather than throwing herself at him like she usually did. Jack patted her on the back. She held him like he could shatter in her arms any moment.

"I just came back."

"Did talk to them about you powers?"

"They said they'd look into it."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'll be fine."

Jamie didn't miss that both time he asked that question, Jack had answered that he would be fine, rather than that he was fine. Something was wrong and Jack wasn't talking. It might be something terrible. Maybe he was only back briefly before fading away forever. Maybe he really lost his powers for good. Maybe he wasn't a Guardian anymore. Maybe he was just a figment of Jamie's imagination because he was going crazy.

Sophie squeezed his hand. She had lost her own smile.

_"This is you fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you."_

* * *

North opened another thick tome from the workshop's library. There had to be information in there somewhere. There had to be a way to help Jack. They just needed to find it.

"There's nothing in those old books, mate. Nothing that's any good to us."

North sighed. He refused to give up, but it was starting to look like Bunny was right.

"We have to find way, Bunny. We have to find way to bring Jack back. Guardians don't die, not forever. Keep looking."

* * *

**This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but I decided to post a shorter one today instead of a longer one later, since so many are panicking right now (not sure that'll make you feel any better). That means next chapter is likely to be pretty long (or cut in two)**


	118. Shadowed

**Part five of the ****_Fun Times Are Over _****arc.**

* * *

The scene was familiar to Jamie. Comforting. The Moon shone in the sky, bright and big, its light reflecting on the pristine snow and the frozen lake. At the center of that lake, a slender figure held a crooked staff encased in frost. Jack turned and smile at him, that same familiar smile he had missed do much in the past few days.

"Jamie! Come over here."

Jack's playful tone filled him with hope. This was the Jack he knew. He took a step on the ice. It cracked under his feet. Jamie's eyes widened and he looked up at Jack. A patch of dark sand bloomed on the Guardian's chest and spread from there. His smile faded, the playful glint left his eyes and all that was left was an accusatory stare.

Jamie swallowed. He did not want to watch this again. But he could not look away even as his friend turned to black ice under his eyes again and shattered into a thousand pieces. Thick clouds blocked out the Moon and, in the darkness, he could hear Pitch's voice.

"_This is all your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you._ "

* * *

Jamie woke up with a gasp. A nightmare. It had only been a nightmare. Again. Before he could catch his breath his eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to make out a figure bending over him. He let out a strangled cry and scrambled away. Ashley groaned when his elbow connected with her shoulder. The figure straightened and Jamie recognized the silhouette lit from behind by the moonlight shining through the window.

"J-Jack? W-what are you doing here?"

"I just came to check up on you. You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Jamie shivered. There was something about Jack's tone, a hint of some sinister enjoyment, that scared him more than the nightmares that plagued him since his friend's return.

"I-it's nothing."

"Jamie, who are you talking to?" Ashley mumbled in her pillow.

Jamie looked at Jack again. Other than a few silvery strands of hair lit by the Moon, all he could see of the winter spirit was a dark figure standing ominously by his bed.

"No one..."

* * *

"There's something wrong with Jack."

"You don't say."

Sophie looked as exhausted as he felt. She had not left the house since they went to see Jack at the lake three days ago, not even to get spare clothes from her apartment, so she was currently wearing one of Ashley's old pajama pants and Jamie's shirt. She hadn't brushed her hair in just as long. She glanced nervously at the window. The Guardian tended to visit when they were alone.

"Soph... do you think it's possible that the nightmare arrow made him... Pitch-like?"

She looked down at the bottom of her cup of coffee as if she would find some answer there. She didn't, so she took a long gulp instead.

"You think it... corrupted him or something?"

"I think, well, maybe. There's something very wrong with Jack. Something scary. I'm not just scared for him. I'm scared _of _him."

She nodded, bit her lip, looked back into her cup. "It feels different from last time... you know, when his staff got infected with fear? I was afraid of him, that time. But he was even more afraid. I don't think... I don't think he afraid of what he's doing to us this time. And that scares me even more."

Jamie had to admit she was right. This was nothing like last time. And he didn't like the only reason he could think of for that.

"Maybe he only came back because he surrendered to the darkness... not because we believed. He didn't, last time."

Sophie shivered. She drank more coffee.

"You think that the Guardians would have let him come back here if he was turning dark? Wouldn't they keep an eye on him?"

Jack's short trip to the Pole had bothered Jamie since the first day. If they had even an inkling that something was going on, even just knowing about his powers not working right, they wouldn't have let him leave so fast. They would have been concerned for him. They would have at least checked up on him often.

"I think... I don't think he ever went to see them at all. I don't think they know he's back. I don't think he wants them to know."

"We got to tell them!" She stood. Jamie grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere.

"Wait! Wait. Let me try to talk to him first. I don't want to go to the Guardians behind his back without at least trying to talk to him."

She hesitated, biting her lip again.

"Jamie... are you sure that's a good idea? He's not... he's not the Jack you knew."

"I got to try it, Soph. I have to... believe in him."

* * *

Jamie went to the lake in the middle of the day. Ever since Jack came back, he did not want to go there at night. He told himself it was merely the memory of what happened, the memory he had been replaying in his dream since, but truth was, the place creeped him out almost as much as the Guardian himself did. Meeting Jack at the lake at night was not something he wanted to do again.

"Uh, Jack? Can I talk to you a moment?"

Jack flew down from his tree and cocked his head to the side, a smile on his lips, his eyes dead and shadowed by the hood of his cloak he had pulled up. No frost mixed with the embroidery on his clothes or covered the staff. The snow had melted around the lake.

"What do you want?"

"You, uh... are you alright?"

"Sure. As good as I can expect to be. My powers are still taking a while to come back, but it'll happen."

Jamie looked down, shuffling in place. He almost regretted coming here. Almost. But this was his friend and he had to do this.

"You didn't really go see the Guardians, did you?"

Jack's smile disappeared.

"Of course I did. Why would I lie to you?"

Jamie flinched. If he was wrong, he was an awful friend to think that Jack had been lying. But he had gone this far, all he could do now was to be honest about his reasons and hope Jack would do the same.

"Because... you changed. And you scare me. They need to know. They–"

"No."

"W-what?"

Jack leaned his staff against a rock and gripped both of Jamie's sleeves, shaking him. The Guardian gave him a desperate look. Jamie was relived to see anything at all in those cold blue eyes.

"They can't know. They can't see me like this. Please." Jack surprised him by pressing his forehead against his shoulder. Ever since coming back, he had merely tolerated physical contact. "Please."

Jamie hesitantly wrapped his arms around the winter spirit. Who might not quite be a winter spirit anymore.

"You need help, Jack. They can help you. They love you."

The Guardian shook his head without lifting it.

"Please. Give me a chance. I'll get through this. Don't you believe in me anymore?"

"Of course..."

"Promise me you won't tell them."

Jamie squeezed his eyes shut and hugged Jack close. His friend did not protest. Maybe he would let him help. Jamie felt hope again. They could get through this. "I promise."

* * *

**This is going to get long, since I keep cutting chapters and adding stuff. But this felt like a nice place to stop and I couldn't have posted before the week-end otherwise. If I don't add any more stuff, there should be three chapters left to the main arc plus one or two aftermath chapters. After that, I'm taking a break.**


	119. Goodbye

**Part six of the ****_Fun Times Are Over _****arc.**

* * *

"You promised him _what?_"

"I said I promised him not to tell. Come on, Soph, calm down."

"Calm down? He needs help, Jamie. For his own sake–"

"I'll help him."

"You can't–"

"He told me to believe in him, Soph! Before he... changed. That's the last thing he told me. Maybe he knew what would happen. We can help him."

Sophie sighed. She shouldn't be surprised. Jamie would still do anything for his friend and Jack, the way he was now, wasn't above taking advantage of that. Or maybe he had been sincere, maybe he really thought he could get out of this alone, but that didn't make Jamie's promise a good idea.

"We can believe in him and still let the Guardians know."

"Just give me a chance! Please–"

The front door opened. They stopped arguing, stopped breathing, staring at the door with wide eyes. Ashley sighed and shook her head when she stepped in and saw them.

"You two are scaring me."

"Oh. Ash. It's you."

Sophie took a deep breath in. She stood and squeezed her brother's shoulder as if to answer his request, then turned to return to the guest room.

"I'm tired. I'm going to go take a nap."

"You should do that too," Ashley told Jamie.

"I'm not tired."

"Of course you are."

"I don't want to sleep."

Sophie closed the door behind her. She sat at the desk rather than going for the bed. She found a notepad in a drawer and tore out a page. Jamie, overly loyal man that he was, may have promised Jack not to tell, but Sophie hadn't promised any such thing.

_North,_

_I'm sorry I never write with good news. But you need to know about the situation here. I don't suppose you know, but Jack is back. He said he went to see you, so we didn't write before, but now he admitted he didn't. He changed. He's not the cheerful, friendly Guardian we knew. I wouldn't even call him a Guardian anymore. There isn't any fun when he's there anymore. His smile never reaches his eyes. He seem to have lost his power over winter. But I think he can do new things._

_We've been having nightmare every night since he came back. We think the arrow may have corrupted him. That he now has powers similar to Pitch's. I think he enjoys scaring us. Jamie spoke to him earlier and Jack got him to promise not to tell you anything. He still think he can help Jack by believing in him, but I'm afraid he's going to get hurt. We need your help. Jack needs your help. _

_Please come; I'm scared._

_Sophie_

She folded the letter in three, taped it and wrote the address at the back. She changed back into her own clothes, tied her tangled hair, slipped the letter into her pocket and left the room. She didn't see her brother, but Ashley raised her eyes from her book to give her a stern look, like a mother catching her child sneaking out of bed.

"Where's Jamie?"

"I sent him to bed. I thought you were sleeping too."

"Couldn't sleep. I'm gonna go take a walk."

"Good. You could use some fresh air."

"Thanks, Ash. For letting me stay here. For tolerating us. I know we're not making it easy for you."

"If you really want to thank me, get professional help. And convince your brother to come with you."

She smiled blandly at Ashley. This was not a problem they could possibly explain to a human therapist. "_Doctor, our spirit friend died and came back wrong and we don't know what to do." _This almost brought a real smile to her face.

"Alright. I'll get us help."

She walked out of the house, her hand over the pocket holding her letter. She kept her pace brisk, all but running to the mailbox. She needed North to get this and fast. The letter almost burned her. She did start running when it came in sight, taking the letter out. She skidded to a stop when a figure landed on top of the blue box. She swallowed. Crouching there, Jack smiled. Sophie shuddered and looked away, holding the letter to her chest.

"Writing to someone, Sophie?"

"J-just to my mom."

"Your mom? Doesn't she live close by?"

"I-I like sending her letters."

"That's not your mother's name on that letter."

Jack snatched the letter from her hands. Sophie tensed as he scanned the address and tore it open. She wanted to run, but she was frozen in place. Her breathing came in short burst. Jack's face was blank, but when he raised his eyes on her, there was hatred in his eyes.

"You lied to me. And you tried to betray me."

"N-no! I mean, yes, I lied, but I'm not trying to betray you! I just wanted to help you. You need it. Jack, please–"

"Don't you believe in me, Sophie?"

"I... Jack, we want to help you, but you have to let us. Please, let me send that letter. Let me tell North. For your own good. Please–"

Jack ripped the letter in half, his eyes not leaving Sophie's. He ripped it again and again and let the small pieces of papers fly away on the wind. Sophie watched them go, her hope dying away. The Jack she knew was gone and didn't want to come back. She couldn't even help him.

"You won't try to do that again."

She turned away from him and left, numb. She didn't return to her brother's house. She wandered aimlessly around her old neighborhood, walking in front of her mother's house, where she grew up with her brother, listening to his stories about the Guardians and cutting paper snowflakes with him when winter wasn't early enough for their taste. Her steps took her to the lake. Wildflowers grew around the edges, the snow fully melted, but the water was still frozen. She didn't venture on the ice. She didn't trust the ice.

"I can't do this anymore, Jack." She addressed the lake rather than the spirit, because she couldn't face the spirit again. But the lake held good memories of the boy he used to be. The one with the sparkle in his eyes who would throw snowballs at them if he thought they weren't having enough fun. The one who brought them to visit his magical kingdom in a land of snow and ice. This was the Jack she wanted to speak to.

"I really wished I could help you. But I can't. And I give up. I'm tired. I want to sleep. I'm so sorry, Jack. I'm done. I hope someone can save you. But it won't be me. Thank you for everything. And Goodbye."

She turned away from the lake she had so often come to play with the Spirit of Winter. She held the memories close to her heart, but they had only been childhood games and it was time to stop being a child. There was no such thing as Jack Frost.

* * *

**I'm sorry, please don't kill me.**


	120. I Believe In You

**Part seven of the ****_Fun Times Are Over _****arc.**

* * *

"Are you doing alright? You're sleeping fine?"

"I'm fine, daddy. Grandma doesn't let me go to bed late, I promise."

"Good." Jamie was relieved. Jade didn't sound like she was scared or tired. She was doing fine. At least not everything was turning horrible.

"I miss you. Grandma said you were coming for dinner tomorrow."

"I am." His mother had informed him he was coming for dinner during their brief talk when she answered the phone. She hadn't asked his opinion. Everyone was treating him like a child, lately.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"That's right." He looked around to make sure Ashley was still upstair and continued in a low voice." Say, Jade, did you see Jack lately?"

"No. But it's spring!"

"Right. Just making sure. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, sweetie."

"Night, daddy!"

Jade's answer told him two things: one, that the spirit was really leaving her alone, and two, that she still believed. He desperately needed to know that right now. He hadn't spoken long with Sophie when she returned from her walk, but he hadn't needed to. She didn't even know what was going on anymore. All she wanted was to sleep. Jamie wished he could sleep.

"You're looking awful," Ashley said, walking down the stairs. She sat next to him on the couch. "You should really try to go back to bed."

"I can't sleep."

"Sophie's managing it."

"Sophie doesn't believe anymore," he whispered.

"What? Doesn't believe in what?"

"In Jack."

"Your friend Jack Overland? I don't understand."

"Not Jack Overland, Ash. Jack Frost. That's his name. Jack Frost."

"Jamie..."

He grabbed her by the shoulders. He desperately needed her to believe him. To believe in Jack. "He's real, Ash. But the Boogeyman killed him. He came back, but he's been scary ever since. He's scaring me."

"_You're_ scaring me."

He let go of her and withdrew to the other side of the couch. The last thing he wanted was to scare anyone. "I'm sorry..."

"You're going to sleep. Somehow, you're going to sleep. You're delirious."

He didn't bother arguing with her. He would just sound even crazier.

* * *

He found Jack standing in the center of the frozen lake again. The nightmare was getting so familiar that he knew right away that this wasn't real. He still took a step onto the ice, even knowing what would happen. There was nothing else he could do. It cracked under his feet. He watched again as his dearest friend's playful look turned to one of accusation. He watched the corruption spread, watched him freeze, watched as he shattered. But this time, the dream didn't end.

The ice shards gathered together again, reformed into a more sinister version of Jack Frost. The reborn spirit smiled, his eyes dead. "This is your fault," he said. "Never forget that. I would have been fine without you."

* * *

It took Jamie a long time to calm down enough to get up without falling. He stumbled into the hallway. He needed this to be over. Now. He peeked into Sophie's room. She was still sleeping peacefully, no longer bothered by nightmares. He envied her. Giving up was tempting. The Guardians would learn of this, sooner or later. They would take care of Jack. This was more than he could handle.

But even if the frequent nightmares had somewhat twisted his memories of the events, he still remembered Jack's last words. _"Jamie... you... have to... keep believing." _He couldn't give up now. Jack wasn't past saving. He was sure of that. He left the house without bothering to pull on his shoes or anything warmer than the thin cotton pants and threadbare T-shirt he was wearing. It wasn't even chilly. Winter was over, even if the winter spirit remained.

He found Jack standing in the center of the frozen lake. The ice cracked under his feet when he ventured on it. He wondered if he was awake or if that was another nightmare. Jack turned around and smiled. Jamie shivered. This was not the old Jack.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I came to talk to you."

"I'm listening"

The ice creaked with every step he took. Jamie shuffled forward, one inch at a time, until he reached the Guardian. Jack cocked his head to the side, the smile still on his lips. Jamie placed both hands on his shoulder and leaned down to look him in the eyes. He tried to find some trace of his old friend there, but there was nothing.

"Please come back."

"I already did. I'm here."

"No. You're not. Not really. Not yet." He wrapped his arms around Jack, ignoring how tense he was. "I still believe in you. Like you told me to. I believe in you. Please come back."

Silence stretched when he finished talking. He could only hope that whatever shred of his friend remained had heard him, was trying to claw it's way back to the surface. He could hope. That was all he had left.

"I don't need you to believe in me."

He gasped when he felt the pain. He stumbled back several step, pressing his hand against his side, shocked to feel the warm blood. Jack grinned. Blood covered his blackened, claw-like fingers. They returned to their normal appearance fast enough that he wondered if he had hallucinated the change, but the blood remained.

"J-Jack–"

His vision faded. He crashed on the ice. Cracks spreaded all around him and he didn't dare move. At the same time, he wanted to let the lake swallow him. Anything was better than looking at that grin again.

"You didn't really think I was done with you, were you?"

Jamie felt a chill and it was only partly due to blood loss and the ice he lay on. He twisted around to look at Pitch, standing safely on the lake's edge. The Boogeyman's eyes glinted in satisfaction.

"Pitch... what did you do to Jack?"

It wasn't Pitch that answered him.

"You did this to me."

_"This is your fault. Never forget that. He would have been fine without you." _Jamie shivered, pressing his forehead against the ice. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm afraid it's a bit late to be sorry, little Jamie," Pitch said. "But I should thank you. Things turned out for the best, after all. For me."

Pitch laughed. Jamie clenched his fists and glared at the Boogeyman.

"He tried to give you a chance you didn't deserve."

Pitch sneered and glared back. His sneer turned into a taunt grin and he looked at Jack.

"We've wasted enough time with that overgrown child. Finish him, we have other things to do."

The ice cracked even more as Jamie shifted to look at Jack again.

"Jack, please don't do this. You don't have to. I believe in you. Please come back."

He heard even more cracks form farther away. He expected the ice to give way any moment now. He wished it did so right now. Jack grinned.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but... I'm not."

"This is a nightmare..." Jamie dearly wanted to believe that, no matter how much the pain in his side was reminding him that it wasn't.

"Nightmares are real, little Jamie," Pitch said. "And they can hurt you."

Jack raised the staff. For the first time since the winter spirit came back to life, Jamie saw glowing frost spread along its length. The small part of Jamie that had been hoping that this was just one of Pitch's trick, that this wasn't the real Jack, died. He squeezed his eyes shut. Cold erupted all around him.

* * *

**I swear things are going to start looking up soon. Also, next chapter will be the first of this arc from Jack's point of view. Finally. **


	121. Spring Snow

**Sorry if the beginning is a little confusing, I didn't want to go back in time to explain things, so this starts exactly where the previous chapter left off (also, I kind of forgot a line near the end of the previous chapter (sorry, I suck))**

* * *

Jack ripped the glowing staff out of the nightmare's hands.

"I'll be taking this back."

The nightmare gasped and looked behind.

"Y-you!" His nightmare double gaped, then raised his hands to stare at them. The fingers were frozen, the ice shattering the illusion of pale skin to show the black sand they were truly made of. The frost spread upward along his arms. "What are you doing to me?"

At another time, Jack might have sympathised with the panic in the nightmare's voice. Panic was one of the last thing he remembered feeling before he died. It only took one look at Jamie for his sympathy to die. The man lay on the ice with one hand pressed to his bleeding side and the other over his head to protect himself from and incoming attack. He was shivering, which was Jack's own fault. The Guardian sidestepped the nightmare to reach his friend.

"J-Jack. What a surprise." Pitch plastered a smile on his face. "A good surprise, of course."

Jack gave Pitch a single glance. One last glance, to let him know just how disappointed he was, before turning his back on him. He was done with the Boogeyman. Even as he turned away, he saw the smile slip.

"Jamie. I'm here."

"Don't you dare ignore me, Frost."

Jamie raised his head up from the ice. His eyes went from Jack to the freezing nightmare, to Pitch, to the thick ice beneath him, then back to Jack.

"You... you're here? This isn't a dream, right? You're real?"

Jack smiled. "Of course I'm here. This is real."

"M-master! S-save me! I'm–"

"You, shut up! You failed me," Pitch snapped at the nightmare. "Jack. Look at me. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. You weren't supposed to get hurt."

Jack didn't dignify this with an answer. He didn't try to explain to Pitch how much more it would have hurt him if he hadn't saved Jamie. There was no point. He didn't turn, didn't make any sign that he heard Pitch. He knelt next to his friend. Snowflakes fell around them, the warm weather gone. Bunny wouldn't be happy with him. Or maybe this spring snow would bring some hope.

Jamie wasn't paying Pitch any heed either. He pushed himself up, but couldn't do much more than collapse into Jack's lap. He laughed and wrapped his arms around the Guardian's waist like he didn't care about the pain or the Boogeyman anymore. Jack could feel warm blood soak through his clothes.

"You're here! You're really here!" He shivered and it made him laugh harder.

Jack ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry it took me so long. Looks like a lot happened."

"M-master, please! I'm freezing," the nightmare begged. "Jamie? Help me! Hel–"

Jack looked with an odd fascination as the frost kept spreading up the nightmare's throat, silencing him. He wondered if he had looked like that in his last moments, panicked and terrified. He hoped not. The kids had been watching. Jamie gripped him a little more tightly as the ice finished its work, turning the nightmare into a statue of black ice with Jack's features. It was eerie to watch.

Jamie shivered and it was only in part due to the cold. Jack felt guilty for making him watch a replay of the events from that other night. But the cold was the most pressing issue. Jamie wasn't dressed for this weather and hugging a winter spirit wasn't helping any. Jack unpinned his cloak and wrapped it around his friend.

"I'm sorry, you know?" Jamie said. "About what happened. You shouldn't have gotten hurt. It was all my fault."

Jack gaped at Jamie. "Sorry? You should never have been dragged into this mess in the first place. It wasn't your war and you shouldn't have to pay for saving us. Besides," he said with a grin, ruffling Jamie's hair again, "I'm the one who can miraculously come back to life."

"Frost! This isn't over. Look at me!"

Jamie laughed. "That's a good point. You're back. You're really back."

"Thanks to you. You saved me again. Don't make that into a habit."

"As long as you don't make a habit of needing it."

"Deal."

"Frost! Don't pretend you can't hear me! Stop acting like a child and giving me the silent treatment."

_Sorry, Pitch, but I _am _a child._

Jamie scanned the area around the lake. His eyes went over Pitch without stopping. "Is he gone?"

"What? No! I'm right here!"

"Yes. He's gone. Now, let's get you taken care of."

Jack ignored Pitch's increasingly desperate pleas for attention. He made Jamie lie down on his back, making sure to keep the thick cloak between him and the ice. The last thing his friend needed was to get sick. A quick look was all he needed to know that the wound needed medical attention.

He had to figure out the best way to get Jamie the help he needed. He didn't get very far into planning before that problem was solved for him. A beam of light swept an area close to them. A familiar woman's voice followed.

"Jamie Bennett, you come back home right now! If you think you can just disappear in the middle of the night to go take a walk, I got something to—" Jack smiled. The flashlight's beam swept over the ice and stopped on the form lying there. "Jamie? What are you doing lying there? That ice isn't safe!"

Ashley looked like she had just fallen out of bed, still wearing her pajama, with black circles under her eyes, her hair tousled, her feet hastily shoved into untied shoes and her coat falling off one shoulder, but she was here and she would see that Jamie got help. Even if she seemed to want to hit him with the flashlight.

Jamie gave his wife a taut smile."Oh, hi Ash! Sure it's safe."

Ashley placed a tentative foot on the lake's surface. When it held, she took a step, then another, before resuming her rant. "Just what do you think you're doing? I'm done with this, Jamie. I'm done. I'm tired of wondering what's going on when you won't talk to me! If you won't—Oh my god, are you bleeding?"

"It's nothing."

"That's not nothing, that's—_why are you grinning like that?_"

"He's back. Jack Frost is back." Jamie laughed, then passed out in her arms.

* * *

Pitch was gone. The statue of black sand had crumbled, leaving frozen black sand scattered across the ice. This one wasn't going to cause them any more troubles. He just hoped there wasn't any more where it came from. Jack shook his head and looked back at the shore were the paramedic were getting his friend into an ambulance.

A little off to the side, Ashley held the discarded cloak, running her fingers on the silver stitches still slightly covered in frost. A snowflake landed on her nose and she looked up, staring across the still solidly frozen lake where she used to come to play as a child. Jack remembered her and, in that moment, she remembered him too. Her eyes stopped on him. She opened and closed her mouth a few time before saying anything.

"This is yours."

She held up the cloak. He accepted it back with a smile.

"Thank you."

"He said you were back."

"I am. Sorry for causing you so much troubles."

She stared, at a loss.

"Ma'am, we'll be leaving, now," one of the paramedic called.

"Go. I'll join you later."

"I'll be expecting answers, Jack Frost."

"Of course."

He watched the departing ambulance until it was completely out of sight, then turned north. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been gone, but he knew the others must have learned about it. He had been part of their little family long enough to not doubt that they'd worry.

Once upon a time, no one would have cared if he died. Once upon a time, he would have stayed dead. Now, he needed to go tell his family that he was alive and well.

* * *

**So, the main arc is finally over, with only some aftermath chapters left to write. Sorry this took a while!**

**I'm not sure I'll ever do an arc again, but I think I've said that before.**


	122. Calm Down

**This takes place after ****_Spring Snow_**

* * *

The commotion when he entered the workshop was expected, but still overwhelming.

"Phil, put me down. I'm fine."

The yeti protested even as he set him back down. He gestured at the bloodstains on his cloak and clothes. Jack sighed. He really should have known better than to come here like that. On the other hand, it seemed rude to delay telling the Guardians he was alive so he could do some laundry.

"I swear I'm not hurt. Can you tell me where North is?"

Phil grumbled some more and directed him to his own room. He also told him that Bunny was with him, but that the others were busy with their jobs. Jack nodded, thanked the worried yeti and left the main room under the attentive stares of most of the workshop's inhabitant. He had to pull one of the elves off his leg when the pointy-hatted creature decided to hug his ankle.

He heard North's booming voice long before he made it to his room, but it wasn't until he got nearer that he was able to make out what he was saying. Frequent silence told him that this was only half of a conversation.

"Don't say that. Is not your fault."

Jack pushed the door open in time to hear Bunny's whispered reply.

"I should have known better than to let him hang around with Pitch. I knew it wouldn't end well. I should have–"

Bunny's voice broke and he didn't finish his thought. From where he was standing in the doorway, Jack only saw the two Guardians' backs. North sat on the bed and Bunny next to it, both turned toward the window that no one had closed even with Jack not there. His set of Russian dolls had been laid out on the windowsill, from the largest one, with its mocking grin, to the smallest, child-like wooden doll.

Bunny lowered his head, his shoulder hunched, his ears flat against his head. It was a testament to how upset he was that he hadn't heard him open the door. Jack didn't wait for him to keep beating himself up over things he wasn't in any way responsible for. He flew up to the Guardian of Hope and threw his arms around the his shoulders.

"Don't be silly, Cottontail. No one thinks this is your fault."

Bunny tensed. One hand blindly reached back, groped at his hair, his ear and finally grabbed the collar of his cloak and pulled. Jack tumbled over the Pooka's shoulder with a startled yelp.

"Jack!" North shouted.

The bed's springs creaked as a heavy weight was taken off of it. Jack struggled to sit up from the graceless heap he fell in. Bunny pulled him up on his knees and examined him, grasping his chin and turning his head this way and that. Jack wasn't sure if he was trying to determine if he was hurt or if it was really him. Seeing what happened with Jamie, it was safe to be suspicious.

"Nice to see you too, Bunny. Can I stand, now?"

Bunny sniffed him instead of answering. North took matters into his own hands, literally, by grabbing Jack and lifting him up. He made him stand on the bed, where he was roughly eye-level with the other Guardian, and looked him up and down. His eyes soon found the large bloodstain on his thigh, where Jamie's blood had soaked through, making the fabric stick to his skin. Jack pushed North's hand away before he could try to get a look at the non-existent wound. He'd rather keep his pants on.

"It's not mine."

"Jack, you are back! Alive! Ah!"

The crushing hug that followed threatened to change that, but North released him before he could suffocate. He stepped back to wipe a tear.

"Yeah. I'm back. Sorry about that. Dying, I mean. I didn't mean to upset anyone."

"Upset? Jack—we talk later. The others need to know. I will call them. You don't go anywhere. Bunny? Watch him."

North dashed to the door, his heavy footsteps making the whole room tremble. He turned back once before exiting the room, as if hesitating to let Jack out of his sight even a moment. Jack floated down into a sitting position on the edge of the bed and waved at North.

"Not going anywhere."

The Guardian of Wonder thundered down the hall, leaving him alone with the still silent Bunnymund. The Pooka still sat in the same spot, but he had turned to him, staring. Jack shifted in place, not sure what he was supposed to say, if anything.

"I hope that's Pitch's."

Jack looked down at the bloodstains. He remembered the scene on the lake, his first sight upon returning to life. He still hadn't quite sorted his feelings over everything that happened tonight.

"No." When Bunny kept staring, waiting for a real answer, Jack lowered his head. "It's Jamies."

"What? How—what? What happened?"

"What happened is that I wasn't strong enough to come back until he got hurt. Did you think Pitch would leave him alone? _Where were you?_"

Jack snapped his mouth shut, surprised with himself at the sudden anger. Bunny gaped at him, eyes wide.

"I was–We were–I–"

"Nevermind," Jack cut him off. They'd been trying to bring him back. He didn't want to hear it. "Forget I said anything."

Bunny sighed and hopped over to him. He hesitated a few seconds, then pulled him up into a hug.

"I'm glad you're safe, Snowflake. I'd tell you to never do that again, but..."

He didn't need to finish. The alternative would have been to let Jamie take the blow and no Guardian would do that. Bunny rubbed his back in a comforting move more for his own sake than Jack's.

The floor shook under their feet again when North ran back into the room, a plate of cookies in one hand and a cup in the other. He skidded to a halt next to them, placed the cup on the plate and grabbed a cookie.

"The others will be here soon. I brought snacks. Hungry?"

"No, th–argh!"

North shoved the cookie into his mouth without waiting for an answer. Jack tried to reach for it, but Bunny pinned his arms to his sides in his attempt to pull him away from the well-meaning man. Jack couldn't protest without spitting the cookie on the ground. He didn't have time to take that decision that a green blur slammed into him and would have knocked him to ground if Bunny wasn't still holding him.

"Jack! I came as fast as I could. I can't believe you're back! What happened?"

When she took the cookie out of his mouth, he assumed it was to let him speak. But Tooth, of course, had more pressing matters than listening to his explanation. She shoved two fingers into his mouth and started to inspect his teeth, just in case something had happened to them.

"Aargh!"

"Will you two leave the poor kid alone?"

Bunny pulled him away from Tooth. North tried to hand a cup of eggnog to him. Jack was getting tired of being shoved around and fussed over. He just returned from days of almost complete oblivion and this was a bit too much to take and it was getting much too warm. He debated freeing himself with a blast of ice and flying out the window until everyone calmed down.

As it turned out, he didn't need to. One moment, they were crowding and and picking cookie crumbs off his teeth, and the next, they all fell to the ground, golden sand dancing over their head. Jack breathed out in relief, stepped away from the sleeping Guardians and let himself fall back on the edge of his bed, in front of the open window.

"Thanks, Sandy."

The little man patted his knee and sat next to him. A few quick shapes in the sand told him that the Guardians hadn't been getting a lot of sleep, lately. Jack looked down, distractedly scratching at the dry blood on his clothes. He would need to get that cleaned.

"I'm sorry I made you guys worry."

He looked back at the peacefully sleeping Guardians, glad that they were finally getting some rest. He could only hope everyone else was. Even before he returned, he hadn't been completely unaware of what was going on. He heard Jamie pleading with him to return long before he was strong enough to do so. And he heard Sophie's goodbye. He sighed and looked back to Sandy.

"I hope they'll be a little less excited when they wake up. But, while they're sleeping, I'm gonna need to go check up on Jamie and Sophie."

Sandy nodded and gave him a thumb up, then jumped off the bed to start moving the sleeping Guardians in a more comfortable position. Jack got up and opened a mostly empty drawer holding one of his two spare sets of clothes. His old pants and hoodie were still in Antarctica, but he did have that holiday sweater North gave him and that one pair of jeans he found somewhere after Bunny made him fall in a lake of dye. It all felt like so long ago, the beginning of his new life, with his new family.

He tucked the clothes under his arm and headed for the door. He needed to leave his bloodstained outfit in the laundry room before going anywhere. He turned back before leaving and smiled.

"Thank you. All of you. For caring."

* * *

**This wasn't supposed to take this long, but this chapter wasn't cooperating. Also, I got busy with something else. Some of you may know that I've been participating in Jackrabbit Week on tumblr, and that kept me pretty busy all week. Should you care to see the pictures, you can check artoftheguardians on tumblr (link on my profile). I also wrote a short story, which is posted here as well, if you didn't know. You don't even need to ship it to read it; it's not romance.**


	123. Explanations

**Sorry this took a while, but here it is: the last chapter of the conclusion to the ****_Fun Times Are Over _****arc.**

**(please take the time to read the A/N at the end)**

* * *

Sophie was still sleeping when Jack got there. It wasn't a surprised, as the sun was just rising. Maybe it was just as well. Jack pushed the window open, floated inside and crouched on the bedside table. He looked down at the sleeping young woman and sighed.

"I'm sorry, you know? It's not that I couldn't hear you. I just..." He remembered hearing her voice. It was one of the only thing he had been aware of, during that time before he could claw his way out of the darkness. But he had been too late. He sighed. "You were right to stop believing in me."

A sudden sound and flashing light startled him and he almost fell off. He looked down at the cell phone at his feet, the screen lighting up so that he could read who was calling. Ashley. He jumped off the nightstand when Sophie stirred and reached blindly for her phone. She brought it to her ear and mumbled something. In the silence, he could hear Ashley's voice replying, if not what she was saying.

"Ash? Yes, I was still sleeping. That long? Where are you, anyway? It's... early. What?" Sophie sat up in the bed, here eyes wide open, no trace of sleepiness left. "What happened? What? Why can't you tell me now?" She jumped off the bed and started to rummage through the clothes scattered on the floor. Jack stayed out of her way. "Alright, I'm coming. Keys on the nightstands, I get it. See you in a moment."

Sophie tossed the phone on the bed, grabbed a yellow shirt and shook it. It was time for Jack to go. He could make it to the hospital before Sophie did, talk to Ashley and see how Jamie was doing. As he headed back to the window, he saw Sophie move in his direction. He turned and, for an instant, thought that she could see him. He froze in place, only scrambling out of her way at the last second, when it became obvious that she was about to walk right through him. He had promised her, years ago, that he would never let that happen and, even if that had been a trick on her part, he was still going to keep that promise.

Sophie placed a hand on the still-open window to close it, but stopped her motion to stare at it, maybe trying to remember if she let it open before going to sleep. Snow had been falling over Burgess since Jack's return and a light blanket now covered the town. She released the window and placed her elbows on the sill.

"What am I doing here, anyway?" she asked the chilly spring night. "I can't remember. We... lost someone, no?" She looked up at the Moon as if expecting answers. In Jack's experiences, he rarely gave any. "Everything is fuzzy, expect that last talk I had with Jamie before going to sleep. He kept talking about this Jack Frost. I can't believe he still–I can't believe..."

"Soph?"

Jack held his breath. Sophie stared at the falling snow. She leaned out and looked around, then up. A snowflake fell on her nose. "...Jack?"

A smile split his face and he was almost too breathless to answer her. "Soph."

She whirled around and took a step in his direction. Then, she stepped back as memories of the previous days returned to her. Jack saw fear in her eyes. He winced.

"Wh–what are you doing here? What happened to Jamie? What did you do to him?"

Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his head, tugging on his short white hair. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? _Sorry? _Jack–where do those come from?"

He blinked at the sudden change of subject and looked down and what he was wearing. "Er... the North Pole?" He skipped the part about his other clothes having been covered in her brother's blood.

"The North Pole? So you went there? Really?" She looked at him with suspicion, like she didn't really believe that.

"Look, I'm sorry about everything that happened. But you have to listen to me, alright?" She narrowed her eyes, but didn't voice an objection. "It wasn't me, Soph. It was a nightmare."

"A nightmare? You mean that I just dreamt up the whole thing? And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Er... no. I mean that it was one of Pitch's nightmare. You were awake. And I wasn't back."

"It was a fake."

"Yes! And I'm sorry I–"

She cut him off by running up to him and pulling him in a hug. "You idiot! Don't you dare apologize to me. I couldn't–I couldn't even believe in you. I should have known–"

"Soph–"

"Jamie never stopped believing in you. He brought you back, didn't he?"

"Yeah..."

She placed her hand on his shoulder and pushed him away to look him in the eyes. "Jack, what happened to him? How did Jamie get hurt?"

"I... don't know everything, but–"

"Nevermind, you can tell me on the way to the hospital. Ashley's waiting. I need to change–Wait a minute... Jack!"

The offended look she gave him baffled him. "Uh... what?"

"Were you just standing there while I was about to get changed?"

"What? No! I was about to go. I swear!"

"I guess I'll take your word for it." The amused smile on her face told her she didn't really doubt him. "Now, get out of the room."

* * *

Jack kneeled on the car's seat and ran his fingers along the window. He knew those things could come down, somehow, but he hadn't figured out how yet. He let out a little "ah!" when he felt it move, cool air entering the car from the gap. The glass kept coming down even after he removed his hands and, when he turned to face her, he saw that Sophie was pressing a button on her door. Confident that she had this covered, he sat with his back to the window, facing her, his knees pulled back against his chest. He leaned back with a content sigh when the window was fully down and he felt the wind play with his hair.

"Really, Jack., have you never been in a car?"

"No. Why would I want to travel in one of those metal boxes?"

"I guess when you can fly, there's really no reason."

"Exactly."

"Right. Now, start talking. What happened after... after I,,, what happened to Jamie?"

"Like I said, I don't know everything. But I know he came to the lake during the night. I know I heard him call me. The nightmare was with him, but he was calling me. By the time I showed up, he was lying on the ice, bleeding, and Pitch was telling the nightmare to finish him. What happened before that, you'll have to ask Jamie."

"And the nightmare?"

"It won't bother you again. Not that one, at least."

"Good. Anything else?"

"Ashley saw me."

"She what?"

"That light was red."

"Oh." She turned her attention back to the road. Thankfully, it was still early and not many cars were about.

"She said she was expecting explanations. I guess we're gonna have a talk."

Jack sighed. He wasn't sure how much he was looking forward to that. Things hadn't been easy for her and now her husband was hurt because of this whole mess. And none of this would have happened if not for Jack Frost. He got Jamie mixed into Guardians' business from the start. _But what kind of mess would we have all been in if I hadn't? We owe him so much... and looked what that got him._

"I'll stay with you."

"Thanks, Soph."

Nothing was very far in Burgess, so it wasn't long before they reached the hospital. He followed Sophie to the receptionist's desk, then to Jamie's room. He was sleeping, but he looked fine. Not that Jack was a doctor, but he associated "not fine" to a bunch of tubes and beeping machines and he saw none of that. Ashley was dozing in a chair by the bed, still wearing her poodle-print flannel pajama, but she woke up when they walked in.

"Oh, you're here. Both of you."

"How is he?" Sophie whispered. Jack stayed a little behind, not too eager to bring the attention to himself.

"Sleeping."

"I can see that."

"He'll be fine. He needed stitches, but the doctors are not worried. But he was exhausted. So were you. You've been sleeping for a long time. How're you feeling?"

"Better. Much better."

"Good. So, is everything over, now? Can things go back to normal?"

Jack looked down at his feet at the distress in her voice. Sophie nodded.

"Yeah. It's over."

"Right. Good. I'll be going back home, soon. To sleep. But first, I want you two to tell me everything that happened, from the start. I'm tired of being left in the dark."

"Sure thing, Ashley. But... you understand why we didn't say anything before, right?"

"It's not like I could have said anything to you," Jack added.

"I get it. I would have thought you were using the stupidest excuse possible to avoid telling me the truth. Or that you were crazy. But, come on. Let's go talk elsewhere. I don't want to wake up Jamie."

"Did you have breakfast?" Sophie asked. "Because I didn't. Let's give that hospital food a try, shall we?"

* * *

Jack crouched on the chair, his toes curling around the edge of the seat. Not many people were here this early in the morning, so he felt it safe to pick a seat while the two women got their food, even if he couldn't stop anyone from sitting at his table. Only one other person present could see him, a child staring at a bowl of oatmeal. He gave a startled smile when he noticed Jack and the Guardian smiled back.

Sophie placed her platter down and sat next to him, while Ashley sat across from him. Both woman had taken pancakes. He doubted there was a lot of choice. Sophie took a bowl of fruit salad and a bottle of lemonade from her platter and set them in front of him.

"Thanks. You didn't need to."

"I don't want to eat while you're just staring at us."

He shrugged and grabbed the bowl, shoving a spoonful of fruit into his mouth while he waited for someone to start the conversation.

"So, uh, you've known Jamie and Sophie for a long time?"

"Twenty-odd years. I knew you too, then, remember?"

"Yeah, I do. But you guys seem to have some sort of special relationship."

He looked at Sophie while he tried to figure out how to best explain this. She grinned.

"I used Santa's magic snow globe to visit the Easter Bunny when I was two."

"You're kidding, right? Oh god. You're not."

Sophie laughed. Jack chewed on a piece of cherry, swallowed and started talking.

"Do you remember, when you were a child, a time when all the children had nightmares? It was around Easter."

She frowned, dragging a piece of pancake in maple-flavored corn syrup while she thought about it.

"I think I remember."

"This is going to sound crazy–"

"Crazier than Santa's magic snow globe?"

"Maybe not. Anyway, that was the Boogeyman trying to scare the kids into believing in him. And not believing in the Guardian."

"The Guardians?"

"Yeah, you know, Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman?"

"Of course," she said blankly. Jack bit his lip and continued.

"So, uh, Pitch got all of the kids to stop believing except for Jamie and he was asking his stuffed bunny to show him he was real so I drew an Easter egg on his window and made it snow in his room–"

"Jack," Sophie cut him off. "You're not making much sense."

"Okay, I guess you had to be there. Anyway, if Jamie had stopped believing, that would have been the end of the Guardians. We can't survive without our believers."

"We? So you're one of them?"

"Yeah, I am, now."

"So, Jamie believing kept the Guardians from uh..."

"Disappearing."

"What about you? What would have happened to you?"

"Nothing, I guess? I wasn't really a Guardian, back then, and Jamie was the first to believe in me."

"Ah. I guess that makes him pretty special to you, uh?"

"I guess you can say that. Anyway, we managed to defeat Pitch — uh, that's the Boogeyman, by the way — and for a long time, that was that. I mean, he caused us some troubles a few times since, but nothing major."

"Until a few days ago."

"Right."

"Jamie said that the Boogeyman killed you–"

"Jamie said that?" Sophie cut in. "To you?"

"I thought he was delirious. He certainly acted like he was. But, if that's true, was it revenge?"

Jack pushed his fruit around his bowl, not looking up at her. "Yeah, but... not against me. Not this time."

"You mean..."

He turned his attention to his lemonade. Sophie continued the story for him.

"It was Jamie he was after. Jack just happened to show up right on time and took the blow for him."

"Oh!" Ashley stared between the two of them. Jack still didn't look up. Sophie kicked his chair to force him to.

"Jack, Jamie felt awful about that. He said it's his fault."

"I know that. I told him he was being a fool."

"Good. I told him too, but I don't think he believed it."

"And how did Jamie get hurt? I woke up in the middle of the night to find him missing and then I found him lying on that lake with claw marks on his side and the only person there was you."

"Uh... evil nightmare pretending to be me hurt him? I wasn't actually there. I showed up a bit late."

Ashley sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Alright. I feel like I'm still missing a lot, but it can wait. I'm tired and I want to go home and sleep. But first, I have one last question and I want you to promise that you will answer it honestly."

She fixed him with such a severe stare that he backed away further into his chair. Sophie looked curiously between the two as she drained her coffee.

"Uh... alright. I promise." It wasn't like he had anything to hide.

"Is my husband having an affair with you?"

He blinked. Sophie burst out laughing, letting her head fall on her plate as she held her ribs, apparently oblivious to the fact that she was getting syrup all over her hair. Everyone was looking their way, but at least they couldn't see his completely bewildered expression.

"Uh... what? Is Jamie–what?"

"...I'll take that as a no."

Sophie laughed harder.

* * *

**So, that's the end of this arc. This is also going to be the last chapter for a while. Like I said a few chapters ago, I'm putting this on hiatus for an indeterminate time. I'l come back to it eventually, but for now I have other things to work on. I'm not dropping off the face of the Earth, so, if you need to talk to me, you can still contact me, either here or on tumblr (or deviantart, if you have an account there). Keep in mind that I can't answer guest reviews here, but I can answer anonymous asks on tumblr, so if you don't have an account, that's your best option to ask me something. I have all those links on my profile.**

**I'll still be running my RotG tumblr blog, so I'll stay active in the fandom. I'm also vaguely considering registering as a beta reader for RotG, but I'm not sure about that yet.**

**tl;dr: This is now on hiatus. I'll still be around.**


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